John Fitzgerald, who played center for the Dallas Cowboys across 12 seasons and won two Super Bowl rings, has died at age 77.
Fitzgerald passed away Monday, April 14, 2026, according to a Cowboys announcement released Tuesday morning. His death came just 48 hours before he would have turned 78. Neither the team nor family members revealed a cause of death.
During his time with Dallas from 1970 through 1981, Fitzgerald never experienced a losing season — a distinction that puts him among an elite group in pro football history.
A native of Southbridge, Massachusetts, Fitzgerald grew up in the small Worcester County city where he starred as a fullback at Southbridge High School. He also threw the shot put in track and field, showcasing the strength that would later become his trademark in professional football.
At Boston College, Fitzgerald played both ways as an offensive guard and defensive tackle through three varsity seasons. His college career earned him a spot in the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982, just after he hung up his cleats.
Dallas took Fitzgerald with the 101st pick in the fourth round of the 1970 NFL Draft. At 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, he spent his first season on the taxi squad while the team experimented with him on defense before moving him to the offensive line.
He worked as a backup guard when Dallas beat the Miami Dolphins 24-3 in Super Bowl VI during January 1972. The Cowboys moved him to center in 1972, and he won the starting role in 1973, holding it for the rest of his career.
Between 1973 and 1980, Dallas consistently ranked among the NFL’s top 10 offenses in total yardage every year, with five seasons in the top three, thanks in large part to Fitzgerald’s work up front.
When head coach Tom Landry brought back the shotgun formation in 1975 — a formation that had become unpopular in professional football — Fitzgerald proved essential to its success. His precise long snaps to quarterback Roger Staubach, delivered consistently without mistakes, made the entire system function.
Dallas appeared in three Super Bowls over the following four seasons, winning the championship in January 1977 when the Cowboys crushed the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII.
Fitzgerald created one of professional football’s most memorable offensive line nicknames when he dubbed the 1979-80 Cowboys front “Four Irishmen and a Scott.” The group featured Fitzgerald snapping the ball, Pat Donovan at left tackle, Tom Rafferty at right guard, Jim Cooper at right tackle, and Herb Scott at left guard.
Running back Tony Dorsett praised left guard Herb Scott for contributing significantly to his Hall of Fame career. Donovan, part of the famous 1975 “Dirty Dozen” draft class, started every game throughout his nine-year NFL career. Fitzgerald anchored it all from the center position.
Though he never received a Pro Bowl selection despite his consistent excellence, teammates recognized his critical importance to the Dallas offense. Like many outstanding offensive linemen throughout league history, Fitzgerald saw his contributions go unrecognized when individual accolades were distributed.
Fitzgerald’s statistical record reflects extraordinary dependability and winning. He played 137 regular-season games with 109 starts, plus 19 playoff games with 13 starts — a postseason total that ranks 19th in Cowboys history.
The Cowboys qualified for the playoffs 11 times during his dozen seasons, competed in nine NFC Championship Games, reached five Super Bowls, and won two championships. Only the 1974 season saw Dallas miss the postseason while Fitzgerald was on the roster.
Dallas placed Fitzgerald on injured reserve Aug. 31, 1981, and he officially retired Jan. 11, 1982. Tom Rafferty, his teammate from the “Four Irishmen” line, took over at center.
The Cowboys rank Fitzgerald among the franchise’s all-time great centers alongside Dave Manders, Mark Stepnoski, Andre Gurode, and Travis Frederick.
Social media filled with remembrances and condolences after news of his death spread. Football historian Kevin Gallagher called Fitzgerald the “trigger man for the Cowboys’ bold 1975 reintroduction of the shotgun formation” — an innovation that transformed how the game was played, starting with a Dallas center who delivered flawless snaps.
