| No. 72, 64 | |||||||||
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| Positions | Tackle •Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1940-07-02)July 2, 1940 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | June 18, 2017(2017-06-18) (aged 76) Lake Highlands,Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 264 lb (120 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Westinghouse (PA) | ||||||||
| College | Tulsa (1959-1962) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1963: 3rd round, 42nd overall pick | ||||||||
| AFL draft | 1963: 10th round, 75th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Anthony Liscio (July 2, 1940 – June 18, 2017) was an American professionalfootballoffensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDallas Cowboys. He playedcollege football at theUniversity of Tulsa.
Liscio attendedWestinghouse High School, where he was an All-state end infootball, the startingcenter inbasketball and ashot putter for thetrack and field team.
He was inducted into theWestinghouse High School Wall of Fame.[1] In 2015, he was inducted into the Pittsburgh City League Hall of Fame.[2]
Liscio accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Tulsa. He was a two-way starting tackle.
As a senior, he was moved todefensive end and was namedAll-Missouri Valley Conference, honorable-mentionAll-American and was invited to play in theCollege All-Star Game against theNFL champion.[3]
In 2004, he was inducted into the University of Tulsa Athletics Hall of Fame.[4]
Liscio was selected by theGreen Bay Packers in the third round (42nd overall) of the1963 NFL draft. He was also drafted by theNew York Jets in the tenth round (75th overall) of the1963 AFL draft.
He signed with the Packers, and during training camp he was used as adefensive end anddefensive tackle. He was eventually released the week of the season opener on September 10.[5]
In September1967, Liscio was signed by theDallas Cowboys to theirtaxi squad, where he was switched to theoffensive line. He was named the starter atleft tackle (five starts) at the end of his rookie season, becoming the second player in franchise history to hold this position after replacingBob Fry.
In1964, Liscio started 10 games before being placed on theinjured reserve list with a right knee injury. He lost all of the1965 season, after suffering complications (staph infection) from the knee surgery he had in the offseason.
In1966, he recovered to resume his career, was named the startingleft guard (10 starts), and eventually moved back toleft tackle (four starts) at the end of the season. He received second-team All-Pro honors and was voted second toDick Bass for theNFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
In1967, he was the starter at left tackle and played in the championship game, famously known as the"Ice Bowl".
In1970, he appeared in 11 games with 7 starts. Liscio began the season as the starter at left tackle, before suffering a back injury in the fifth game against theMinnesota Vikings. He was replaced byRalph Neely, who would remain the starter at left tackle for the following years.
During his first eight seasons, Liscio was a starter on an offensive line that helped Dallas reach twoNFC Championships and oneSuper Bowl, while playing in 84 games, many of them with injuries.
On May 19,1971, he was sent to theSan Diego Chargers as part of the “Bambi” trade that broughtHall of FamerLance Alworth to the Cowboys.[6]
Liscio never played a game for the Chargers because of injuries to his back and hamstrings.[7] On September 8, 1971, he was traded to theMiami Dolphins along with a fourth round draft choice (#91-Larry Ball) in exchange forcenterCarl Mauck.[8]
He never played a game for theMiami Dolphins either, because he announced his retirement after the trade became official, rather than reporting to the team.[7]
In1971, head coachTom Landry called Liscio on Monday November 15 to ask if he could return to the Cowboys to replace the injured Neely,Forrest Gregg andDon Talbert. He reported to the team on Wednesday to start atleft tackle against theWashington Redskins on Sunday.[9] During the game, Liscio played with injuries to his shoulders and knees. Liscio and the Cowboys won the game 13-0 and became the leader in theNFC East.
He started the last 5 games of the regular season and the playoffs at left tackle. AtSuper Bowl VI, the Cowboys defeated Miami 24-3. In that game, Liscio successfully blockedBill Stanfill, helpingDuane Thomas and otherrunning backs register 252 rushing yards. He retired at the end of the year.
After football, he worked in commercial real estate. In 2012, he suffered a heart attack while being present at theDallas Cowboystraining camp.[10]
Liscio died on June 18, 2017, at age 76 at hisLake Highlands home. He was diagnosed withamyotrophic lateral sclerosis after falling and breaking his hip in mid-2016 and began slurring his words. He had lost his ability to speak and required a feeding tube, according to his wife, Annette, to whom he was married since 1963. She believed playing football had contributed to his condition and, upon his death, donated his brain to be tested forchronic traumatic encephalopathy. He was survived by her and their three children.[11]