Super Bowl winner dead after being hospitalized in May from a stroke
Rafferty had been hospitalized since early May after suffering a stroke. His daughter, Rachel, confirmed his passing.
Across a 14-year NFL career, Rafferty took part in 221 games in the regular season and the playoffs.
A native of Syracuse, New York, Rafferty played college football under Joe Paterno at Penn State.
He was selected 119th overall in the fourth round of the 1976 by the Cowboys - the only team he ever played for in his career.
Rafferty was a steady presence on the Cowboys' offensive line - bridging a gap between two Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks: Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.
The center started two Super Bowls for the Cowboys: Super Bowl XII, when they defeated the Denver Broncos, and Super Bowl XIII, when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the 1983 season, Rafferty laid some crucial blocks to help Dallas running back Tony Dorsett set an NFL record with a 99-yard touchdown run.
After retiring from football, Rafferty worked in sports equipment sales as a second job.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Rafferty managed to teach himself to walk again in middle age after a neurological disorder left him without any feeling below the waist.
Rafferty, a member of the Greater Syracuse Hall of Fame, is survived by his wife, daughter, son, and two grandchildren.
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