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Bill Fralic and his mother, Dorothy, sign his letter of intent to play for Pitt, Feb. 19, 1981.
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'So much more than football': The gentle, generous side of Bill Fralic

Associated Press

'So much more than football': The gentle, generous side of Bill Fralic

Jason Pinkston can still see Bill Fralic pulling up to the Pitt football team hotel in his Hummer H2, a big, imposing vehicle for a big, imposing man.

But Pinkston — like Fralic, an offensive lineman who plied his trade in the WPIAL, then Pitt, then the NFL — also got to see the softer side of his Panthers predecessor, a first-team All-American Pinkston idolized from the time he arrived on campus in 2006. You could even say the two 6-foot-5, give-or-take 300-pound behemoths formed a bond in the cutest of ways: English bulldogs.

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The Fralics, Bill and his wife, Susan, were proud owners of English bulldogs named Daisy and Charlie. While sharing memories of his interactions with Fralic over the years, Pinkston — a Baldwin High School graduate who played left tackle at Pitt from 2006-10 before being a fifth-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns — went right to the pets.

Penn Hills quarterback Hollis Mathis lifts the state title championship trophy while surrounded by his teammates during the Penn Hills football team championship parade, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018, in Penn Hills.
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“I remember getting in the elevator and there he was, him and his wife, sitting in the hotel, and she’s holding this bulldog,” Pinkston recalled. “So I end up sitting with them and talking about his dog and whatnot, and ever since then, he was the reason I bought three bulldogs. I have three English bulldogs now, and the only reason I have them is because of Mr. Fralic. That was the first time I got to see one in person, hold one and pet one. I bought my English bulldogs because of him and his family.”

Pinkston was stunned to hear the news of Fralic’s death Thursday at the age of 56. The legendary Penn Hills offensive lineman was a larger-than-life figure around Pitt’s practice facility when Pinkston played under coach Dave Wannstedt.

“That was one of the guys we really looked up to,” Pinkston said. “He spent a lot of time in the building. You could ask him any question in the world — about football, life lessons, anything. He always was a positive guy. He was an awesome guy. He was the absolute man.”

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E.J. Borghetti, Pitt’s executive associate athletic director for media relations and a longtime friend of Fralic, remembers the dogs. And he remembers Fralic “really did look like Superman, even in his 50s,” but there’s much more about the No. 2 overall pick in the 1985 draft that will leave an indelible impression on Borghetti.

“This was a man who was so much more than football,” Borghetti said.

When Borghetti saw just last week that Fralic paid for the Penn Hills football team to stay overnight at a hotel for the state championship in Hershey, Pa., he was only surprised by one part of that news.

“Billy was probably upset that it made it into the public,” Borghetti said. “If he could’ve, he probably would've done that anonymously.

Penn Hills quarterback Hollis Mathis lifts the state title championship trophy while surrounded by his teammates during the Penn Hills football team championship parade, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018, in Penn Hills.
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Penn Hills honors its state championship football team while mourning loss of a favorite son

“I know he’ll always be viewed as the guy who brought about the phrase ‘pancake block’ by putting a guy on his back, but as I sit here today and reflect on him, I just think about what a generous giver he was.”

Not just with his wallet, but with his passion. When former Pitt star defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who also attended Fralic’s high school alma mater, was jet-setting around the country to collect awards following his senior season in 2013, Fralic wanted to be in touch.

“We’re about to go on the plane to go to the next one, and Billy calls me and he says, ‘Get me on the phone with Aaron. Or give me his number, I want to text him, I’m just so proud of him,’ ” Borghetti recalled. “He took great pride in seeing other people have success.”

And a nice meal, too. Fralic was on the radio broadcast one weekend for a road game at Rutgers, and a Pitt group decided to cross state lines from New Jersey into New York City to enjoy dinner in Manhattan.

Fralic picked an Italian restaurant, and when the time came for the check, they all got ready to settle up.

“It’s already taken care of,” Fralic assured them. “Just enjoy yourself more.”

Then he ordered dessert.

Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.

First Published: December 14, 2018, 6:07 p.m.

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Bill Fralic and his mother, Dorothy, sign his letter of intent to play for Pitt, Feb. 19, 1981.  (Associated Press)
Roland Pastucha of the Penn Hills School District maintenance department prepares a wreath to be hung on the Bill Fralic Athletic Center on Dec. 14, 2018, in Penn Hills. The wreath recognizes football great Bill Fralic, who died Thursday at age 56.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
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