Tony Liscio
Encyclopedia
Anthony Liscio is a former American football
offensive tackle in the National Football League
from 1963 through 1971. He played college football
at the University of Tulsa
. Liscio was present at the infamous Ice Bowl
, and often credited with easing tensions between African-American and Caucasian
teammates on the Dallas Team.
A three-year letter winner and two-way starting tackle for the University of Tulsa
.
He was a first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference as a senior and was selected to play in the College All-Star game against the NFL.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame.
in the 3rd round of the 1963 NFL Draft
.
He was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys
after been cut by the Packers the week of the season opener.
He became a starter at Left tackle at the end of his rookie season, and became a stalwart on the Cowboys offensive line for almost a decade.
He helped to Cowboys to 2 NFC Championships and 1 Super Bowl
during his 8 seasons with the Cowboys and played in 89 games.
to the Cowboys, for his final two seasons (1971 and 1972).
Liscio had to report to the San Diego Chargers
training camp at UC-Irvine , were he strained both hamstrings as a result of a team-mandated stretching program.
The problematic back that cost him the second half of the 1970
season with the Cowboys, flared up as well.
He never played a game for the Chargers, because he was traded to the Miami Dolphins
. But he never played a game with the Dolphins either, because he chose to retire instead.
In mid-November 1971
, the Cowboys desperately needed help at left tackle. Injuries at that position had hit the team hard: Ralph Neely
fractured his leg in an off-road, in-season motorcycle accident; Don Talbert
broke a bone in his foot, and Forrest Gregg
was limping to the finish line of a 16-year Hall of Fame
career, so that Tom Landry
called Liscio on Monday November 15, 1971
, he was at the training facility on Wednesday, and was the starting left tackle against the Washington Redskins
on Sunday.
Liscio went into that Redskins game at RFK with his right leg taped from the ankle to the hip. His right knee was aching. Both shoulders hurt. But with the Cowboys and Redskins battling for first place in the NFC East
, Liscio’s adrenaline quickly took over. “Once the game started, I felt nothing,” he recalled. The Cowboys won, 13-0. Liscio’s opponent that day was defensive end Verlon Biggs
, who never reached the quarterback.
Incredible to state, Liscio did not allow a sack in eight starts on his comeback. And the 1971
Cowboys never lost a game with him at left tackle
. Not only did they run the table through Super Bowl VI
, but Liscio and Alworth ended up as Super Bowl
teammates. Alworth caught a 7-yard pass for the first touchdown, of the Cowboys’ first Super Bowl
victory (24-3 over Miami) on a quick toss into the end zone to Liscio’s side. In that game, Liscio and left guard John Niland
successfully blocked Bill Stanfill
and Bob Heinz
, respectively, throughout the game, leading Duane Thomas
and others to 252 rushing yards. The trade — just as Liscio’s Cowboys career — had come full circle and for his effort, Liscio was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award
, after which he retired.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive tackle in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
from 1963 through 1971. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
. Liscio was present at the infamous Ice Bowl
NFL Championship Game, 1967
The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Western Conference champion Green Bay Packers and the Eastern Conference champion Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. The game was held at Lambeau Field on December 31, 1967. The winner of the game was...
, and often credited with easing tensions between African-American and Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
teammates on the Dallas Team.
Early years
Football, 1959–62A three-year letter winner and two-way starting tackle for the University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
.
He was a first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference as a senior and was selected to play in the College All-Star game against the NFL.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Tony Liscio, was selected by the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in the 3rd round of the 1963 NFL Draft
1963 NFL Draft
The 1963 National Football League Draft was held on December 4, 1962.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
.
He was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
after been cut by the Packers the week of the season opener.
He became a starter at Left tackle at the end of his rookie season, and became a stalwart on the Cowboys offensive line for almost a decade.
He helped to Cowboys to 2 NFC Championships and 1 Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
during his 8 seasons with the Cowboys and played in 89 games.
1971 season and Super Bowl VI
Liscio was part of the “Bambi” trade in May 1971, that brought Hall of Famer Lance AlworthLance Alworth
Lance Dwight Alworth is a former American collegiate and Professional Football wide receiver. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
to the Cowboys, for his final two seasons (1971 and 1972).
Liscio had to report to the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
training camp at UC-Irvine , were he strained both hamstrings as a result of a team-mandated stretching program.
The problematic back that cost him the second half of the 1970
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
season with the Cowboys, flared up as well.
He never played a game for the Chargers, because he was traded to the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. But he never played a game with the Dolphins either, because he chose to retire instead.
In mid-November 1971
1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...
, the Cowboys desperately needed help at left tackle. Injuries at that position had hit the team hard: Ralph Neely
Ralph Neely
Ralph Eugene Neely is a former American football offensive tackle who played 13 seasons and 172 games for the Dallas Cowboys from 1965 to 1977.-Early years:...
fractured his leg in an off-road, in-season motorcycle accident; Don Talbert
Don Talbert
Don Larry Talbert is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, and the New Orleans Saints. He played college football at the University of Texas at Austin and was drafted in the eighth round of the 1961 NFL Draft...
broke a bone in his foot, and Forrest Gregg
Forrest Gregg
Alvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in...
was limping to the finish line of a 16-year Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
career, so that Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
called Liscio on Monday November 15, 1971
1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...
, he was at the training facility on Wednesday, and was the starting left tackle against the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
on Sunday.
Liscio went into that Redskins game at RFK with his right leg taped from the ankle to the hip. His right knee was aching. Both shoulders hurt. But with the Cowboys and Redskins battling for first place in the NFC East
NFC East
The NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins....
, Liscio’s adrenaline quickly took over. “Once the game started, I felt nothing,” he recalled. The Cowboys won, 13-0. Liscio’s opponent that day was defensive end Verlon Biggs
Verlon Biggs
Verlon Marion Biggs was an American football defensive end in the American Football League and National Football League. He played for the New York Jets in Super Bowl III, but felt he didn't receive enough credit for the Jets' playoff win against the Oakland Raiders in the AFL Championship Game...
, who never reached the quarterback.
Incredible to state, Liscio did not allow a sack in eight starts on his comeback. And the 1971
1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...
Cowboys never lost a game with him at left tackle
Tackle
Tackle may refer to:* In football:** Tackle , a play in various forms of football** Tackle , a position in American football and Canadian football...
. Not only did they run the table through Super Bowl VI
Super Bowl VI
Super Bowl VI was an American football game played on January 16, 1972, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1971 regular season...
, but Liscio and Alworth ended up as Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
teammates. Alworth caught a 7-yard pass for the first touchdown, of the Cowboys’ first Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
victory (24-3 over Miami) on a quick toss into the end zone to Liscio’s side. In that game, Liscio and left guard John Niland
John Niland
John Rodney Niland AC is an Australian academic and company director. He is currently on the Board of Macquarie Group and Macquarie Bank. Niland obtained a Bachelor and Master of Commerce from the University of New South Wales and was President of the University Union and Students Union when he...
successfully blocked Bill Stanfill
Bill Stanfill
William Thomas Stanfill is a former defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League and then the NFL after the AFL-NFL merger of 1970.-High school years:...
and Bob Heinz
Bob Heinz
Robert Kenneth Heinz is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at the University of the Pacific and in the National Football League for the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Redskins...
, respectively, throughout the game, leading Duane Thomas
Duane Thomas
Duane Julius Thomas is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played four seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins from 1970 to 1974....
and others to 252 rushing yards. The trade — just as Liscio’s Cowboys career — had come full circle and for his effort, Liscio was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award
NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award
The NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award has been given out after every season since 1972 by Pro Football Weekly. The player named Comeback Player of the Year shows perseverance in overcoming adversity, in the form of not being in the NFL the previous year, a severe injury, or simply poor...
, after which he retired.