Former Oiler and Cowboy Toni Fritsch has died in Vienna Austria at age 60. One of my best friends ran into him at the Grotto on Westheimer last frikking week. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3351994 Former Cowboys, Oilers kicker Fritsch dies at 60 Associated Press VIENNA, Austria — Toni Fritsch, a former Austrian soccer player who switched sports and became a Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers place-kicker, died Tuesday. He was 60. Peter Klingelmueller, a spokesman for Rapid Vienna, the soccer club on which Fritsch played for 14 years, confirmed Fritsch's death. The Austria Press Agency reported that Fritsch collapsed and died of heart failure in Vienna after eating at a restaurant. Fritsch played in nine matches for the Austrian national soccer team and, in 1965, scored two goals for Austria as it defeated England 3-2 in London. Six years later, he moved to the U.S. after having been recruited by the Dallas Cowboys. In an interview last year, Fritsch recalled how he had never seen a football before meeting with the Cowboys' recruiter. A translator followed him during the early days of practice to help him understand the game. He played for the Cowboys from 1971-1973 and in the 1975 season, helping the club beat Miami in the Super Bowl in 1972 and reach the game again in 1976, when Dallas lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played for the San Diego Chargers, Oilers and New Orleans Saints. He scored 758 points in 125 games during his 11-year NFL career, 317 for Dallas.
I still remember when he came to our 5th grade class and gave us autographs (well, he gave 1 autograph that the teachers xeroxed and handed out... lol). He was one of my favorite Oilers. The only ones I put above him were Earl and Bum. He seemed like a really really nice guy.
