Welcome back to another edition of the Countdown to Kickoff Series. With the preseason officially wrapped up for the Dallas Cowboys, we’re now heading full-steam toward the regular season, and the only thing that stands between us is 15 days.
While that may seem like a long time, don’t worry because you have waited almost 27 years for the Cowboys to win again, so waiting “quince” days shouldn’t hurt. All jokes aside, today we’re crowning the Greatest #15 in franchise history.
Out of the seven guys who wore #15, there was only one guy who stood out among arguably a weak list of players at #15. So without further ado, let’s kick off this crowning and welcome K Toni Fritsch to the stage.
Toni Fritsch’s NFL Career
If there was one thing I could tell my grandkids about Fritsch and me, it’s that we both played soccer–and were both stars. While he may have way more success than me, the cool thing for me was discovering Fritsch was actually an Austrian “futbol” star before he ever became an NFL player.
During the 1960s-70s, European soccer-kickers were becoming a trend in the NFL, and of course, the iconic Cowboys wanted a piece of that. To fill the need– the franchise went after Austrian footballer Toni Fritsch and stats-wise he didn’t do too hot, but that didn’t stop him from making an impact.
Statistically, his best year was in 1973, as he went 43-43 on XPs and shot 64.3% (18-37) on field goals.
(I bet those stats would have got him the kicker gig today)
After four years with the Cowboys, Fritsch left for a season with the then-San Diego Chargers before having a solid five-year career with the Houston Oilers. While Fritsch may not have been with the Boys for a long time, he had his moments while donning the star and his GW-kick versus the Eagles is arguably the most memorable.
But today, we celebrate Mr. Fritsch as the Greatest #15, and I hope you all got a kick out of the selection. Check back on Sunday to find out who’s the Greatest #14.
