Author of the pancake block and an Atlanta Falcons all-time great, Bill Fralic, a nine-year NFL veteran who was twice voted a first-team All-Pro, died Thursday at 56.
According to a release from Fralic's alma mater Pittsburgh, he passed away following a battle with cancer.
"On behalf of the Atlanta Falcons we would like to extend our condolences to all the family and friends of Bill Fralic," Falcons owner and chairman Arthur M. Blank said in a statement. "Bill was a cornerstone of the Falcons for eight seasons, while earning four Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro selections. He was a beloved Falcon, and we will always be grateful for the impact he made here in Atlanta."
Following a career at Pitt in which he was a two-time unanimous All-American, Fralic, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound offensive lineman known for his phenomenal run blocking, was taken with the No. 2 overall pick by Atlanta in the 1985 NFL Draft.
Wasting little time establishing himself as one of the game's best, Fralic was a starter at guard his rookie season and became a four-time Pro Bowler from 1986-1989 with All-Pro accolades coming in 1986 and 1987.
Fralic concluded his career with a season for the Detroit Lions in 1993.
Inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame followed for Fralic in 1998.
"Bill Fralic was not only an all-time player at the University of Pittsburgh, but also an all-time human being," Pitt head football coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. "His generosity, support and concern for others was unmatched. For as hulking a figure as he was, Billy was even larger in his kindness and passion for others. He leaves a wonderful legacy that goes well beyond football at Pitt, Penn Hills and all of Western Pennsylvania. Our hearts and prayers are with his wife, Susan, and all of his loved ones."
Akin to NFL Hall of Famer Deacon Jones coining the phrase sack, but admittedly to much less fanfare, it was Fralic who was credited with the creation of the term pancake block in his days at Pitt. A block in which a lineman (or any offensive player) puts a defender on his back, pancakes became a statistic kept by Pitt publicists during his days with the Panthers.
In the NFL, Fralic played in 132 games, starting 131.
He was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team and the No. 9 Falcons player of all-time in 2016 by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Fame and respect also followed Fralic into the courtroom, as he was a major advocate for better steroid testing and testified in 1989 before the U.S. Senate that use of the drug in the league was rampant. Joe Biden, then a Delaware senator, was quoted as calling Fralic's remarks "refreshing and believable."
In the prime of his career in 1986, Fralic was one of a group of NFL players to take part in a battle royal for the World Wrestling Federation's (now World Wrestling Entertainment) Wrestlemania 2 battle royal in Chicago. Fralic was joined by players Jimbo Covert and William "Refrigerator" Perry, Russ Francis, Ernie Holmes and Harvey Martin in a match featuring pro wrestling luminaries such as Bruno Sammartino, the Iron Sheik, Bret "Hitman" Hart, "Big" John Studd, who Fralic cut a promo against prior to the match, and eventual winner Andre The Giant. Fralic made another appearance for the WWF in 1993 on the U.S.S. Intrepid as part of a body slam challenge featuring then-WWF champion Yokozuna.
Following his playing days, the well-spoken Fralic was a color commentator for Falcons football from 1995-97 and Pitt from 2004-10.
"Bill Fralic, one of the top 20 greatest guards in NFL history, in my opinion," NFL Network's Gil Brandt tweeted. "Started 131 of 132 career games. Rest easy, my guy."
