Former Dallas Cowboys center John Fitzgerald, a two-time Super Bowl champion who anchored one of the most dominant offensive lines in NFL history, has died. He was 77 years old.
The Cowboys confirmed Fitzgerald’s passing on Tuesday morning. He died on Monday, April 14, 2026 — just two days before what would have been his 78th birthday. No cause of death was disclosed by the organization or his family.
Fitzgerald spent all 12 of his NFL seasons in Dallas, from 1970 to 1981, and never once played on a losing team. That alone places him in rare company in the history of professional football.
From Small-Town Massachusetts to America's Team
Fitzgerald grew up in Southbridge, Massachusetts, a small city in Worcester County where he attended Southbridge High School. There, he played running back on the football team and competed as a shot putter in track and field — an early sign of the raw power that would define his professional career.
He earned a scholarship to Boston College, where he became a two-way player, lining up at both offensive guard and defensive tackle across three varsity seasons. His college career was strong enough to earn him induction into Boston College’s Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982, shortly after his retirement from the NFL.
The Cowboys selected Fitzgerald in the fourth round of the 1970 NFL Draft, 101st overall. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 255 pounds, he initially spent his rookie year on the taxi squad, where Dallas tried him on the defensive side of the ball before shifting him to offense.
The Foundation of a Dynasty
Fitzgerald served as a backup guard during the Cowboys’ Super Bowl VI campaign, a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in January 1972. He was converted to center for the 1972 season and claimed the starting job in 1973. He never let go of it.
From 1973 through 1980, Fitzgerald helped the Cowboys’ offense finish among the NFL’s top 10 in total yards every single season. During five of those years, Dallas ranked in the top three.
His most lasting contribution may have been what he did in 1975, when head coach Tom Landry decided to reintroduce the shotgun formation — a scheme that had largely fallen out of favor in the NFL. Fitzgerald’s ability to accurately snap the ball over a longer distance to quarterback Roger Staubach, without hesitation or error, made the whole thing work.
The results were immediate. Over the next four seasons, the Cowboys reached the Super Bowl three times, winning it all in January 1978 with a 27-10 demolition of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII.
'Four Irishmen and a Scott'
Fitzgerald was credited with coining one of the best nicknames in NFL history for the Cowboys’ offensive line of 1979-80: “Four Irishmen and a Scott.” The name referred to Fitzgerald at center, Pat Donovan at left tackle, Tom Rafferty at right guard, Jim Cooper at right tackle, and Herb Scott at left guard.
That unit was a wrecking crew. Running back Tony Dorsett credited left guard Herb Scott with playing a major role in his Hall of Fame career. Donovan, a product of the celebrated 1975 “Dirty Dozen” draft class, never missed a game over nine NFL seasons. And Fitzgerald sat at the center of all of it — both literally and figuratively.
Despite the sustained excellence, Fitzgerald never made a Pro Bowl. Those who played alongside him, however, never questioned his value to the Dallas offense. His skills were often overlooked when postseason honors were handed out, a fate that has followed many great offensive linemen throughout NFL history.
A Career Defined by Consistency
The numbers paint a picture of remarkable durability and success. Fitzgerald appeared in 137 regular-season games, starting 109 of them. He logged 19 postseason appearances with 13 starts, a total that ties for 19th in franchise history.
During his 12 years in Dallas, the Cowboys reached the playoffs 11 times, advanced to nine NFC Championship Games, appeared in five Super Bowls, and captured two Lombardi Trophies. The only season Dallas missed the postseason during Fitzgerald’s tenure was 1974.
He was placed on injured reserve on Aug. 31, 1981, and announced his retirement on Jan. 11, 1982. Tom Rafferty, his linemate in the “Four Irishmen” front, moved into the center position and carried on.
The Cowboys placed Fitzgerald among the franchise’s greatest centers, a lineage that includes Dave Manders, Mark Stepnoski, Andre Gurode, and Travis Frederick).
Fan tributes and condolences poured in across social media following the announcement. Football historian Kevin Gallagher described Fitzgerald as the “trigger man for the Cowboys’ bold 1975 reintroduction of the shotgun formation” — a move that changed the way the game was played and one that started with a center in Dallas who could put the ball exactly where it needed to be.