Travis Frederick
Travis Frederick (born March 18, 1991) is a former American football center who played his entire seven-year career for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at Wisconsin and was drafted 31st overall by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. In his time as a Cowboy he was elected to 5 Pro Bowls and he was an All-Pro in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Frederick in 2016 | |||||||
No. 72 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Center | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Sharon, Wisconsin | March 18, 1991||||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 320 lb (145 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Big Foot (Walworth, Wisconsin) | ||||||
College: | Wisconsin | ||||||
NFL Draft: | 2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 31 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2019 | |||||||
|
Early years
A native of Sharon, Wisconsin, Frederick attended Big Foot High School in Walworth, Wisconsin, where he was an all-state two-way lineman. He helped his high school team to second place in the 2008 WIAA Division 4 state playoffs.[1]
Frederick was also on Big Foot's track team. He finished second in the shot put at the 2008 'BDN' Invite, with a throw of 15.23 meters (50 ft 0 in). He took silver second in the discus throw at the 2008 WIAA Sectional Championships, with a throw of 49.30 meters (161 ft 9 in).[2]
Recruiting
Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Frederick was ranked as the No. 83 offensive tackle prospect in his class.[3]
College career
Frederick attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and played for the Wisconsin Badgers football team from 2009 to 2012. After graduating high school early to participate in spring practice, Frederick became the first true freshman in Badgers history to start a season-opening game on the offensive line, when he lined up at center against Northern Illinois. An ankle injury in week 2 knocked him out of the starting lineup, but he returned for the final two games, at left guard, after center Peter Konz was sidelined (blood clots) and John Moffitt was moved to center. For the season, he played in five games, starting four (two at center and two at left guard).
In order to preserve a year of Frederick's NCAA eligibility, Wisconsin coaching staff decided to redshirt him in 2010.[4] In his redshirt sophomore season, Frederick replaced John Moffitt, starting 11 of 13 games at left guard. For two games, he had to substitute for Peter Konz at center.
Following Konz's departure for the 2012 NFL Draft, Frederick was moved to center his junior season. He started all 13 games at center and was named a first-team All-American by Pro Football Weekly.[5]
Professional career
2013 NFL Draft
Considered the best center in his class by Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN, Frederick decided to enter the 2013 NFL Draft as an underclassman.[6] He was projected to be a second- to third-round selection.
At the NFL Combine, Frederick ran a 5.58 in the 40-yard dash, second-slowest among offensive lineman.[7] He also posted a below-average 21 repetitions in the 225 lb bench press.[8][9]
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 3 5⁄8 in (1.92 m) |
312 lb (142 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
5.58 s | 1.91 s | 3.20 s | 4.76 s | 7.81 s | 28 1⁄2 in (0.72 m) |
8 ft 1 in (2.46 m) |
21 reps | |
All values from NFL Combine[10][11] |
Dallas Cowboys
In the 2013 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys traded down in the first round with the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a third-round pick (used to draft Terrance Williams). In the first round, the team selected Frederick after eight offensive linemen were drafted before him. This decision caused a stir in the media because it was not only seen as a reach, but the trade was also criticized for bringing poor compensation after moving down 13 positions.[12]
Frederick was named a starter from the first day of Organized Team Activities in the preseason, replacing Phil Costa, who had been the starter in the previous two years. He became the first rookie in franchise history to start every game at center and was selected to the NFL All-Rookie team.[13]
2014
The next year, he continued his development, by anchoring what was arguably considered as the best offensive line in the league and was also named to his first Pro Bowl.
2015
In 2015, he had to work with four different starting quarterbacks with varying degrees of knowledge of the team's offense, which required him to make more protection calls. He was named to his second Pro Bowl.[14]
2016
On August 13, 2016, Frederick signed a six-year, $56.4 million contract extension with the Cowboys, making him the highest-paid center in the league.[15]
Before the start of the 2016 season, Frederick was named one of the five team captains.[16] That year, Frederick helped pave the way for rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott to the NFL rushing yards leader and his first Pro Bowl while protecting rookie quarterback Dak Prescott to his first Pro Bowl as well. He was named to his third straight Pro Bowl and was named First-team All-Pro, both honors being shared with fellow Cowboy offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Zack Martin.[17] He was also ranked 87th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 as the only center in the list.[18]
2017
On December 19, 2017, Frederick was named to his fourth straight Pro Bowl alongside tackle Tyron Smith and guard Zack Martin for the second straight year.[19]
2018
On September 3, 2018, Frederick was not placed on injured reserve to start the 2018 season after being diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome on August 22.[20] He was inactive for the first four games before inevitably being placed on the reserve/non-football illness list on October 6, 2018.[21]
Personal life
Frederick double majored in computer engineering and computer science at the University of Wisconsin.[24]
On August 22, 2018, Frederick was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome.[25]
Frederick has two brothers, Tyler and Collin.
References
- "Former Big Foot star Travis Frederick no ordinary UW freshman". Janesville Gazette. August 17, 2009.
- "Travis Frederick". Athletic.net.
- "2009 Offensive Tackles Prospect Ranking". rivals.com. January 15, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
- "UW staff hopes to get through 2010 without Frederick". www.jsonline.com.
- "NFL football news, rumors, analysis". Pro Football Weekly. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012.
- "Wisconsin's Frederick announces he's going pro".
- "Travis Frederick stands pat at pro day". The Chippewa Herald. March 7, 2013.
- "Frederick believes his performance on the field is enough for pro scouts". Walworth County Today. March 7, 2013.
- "Cowboys' Potential Draft Pick: Travis Frederick, C, Wisconsin". NBCDFW.com. March 26, 2013.
- "Travis Frederick NFL Draft profile". NFL.com. March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- "Travis Frederick rating". NFLDraftScout.com. March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- "Travis Frederick surprised at selection". ESPN.com. April 26, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
- "Roster Rundown: Frederick Exceeded First-Round Hopes". DallasCowboys.com. March 3, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
- "Sean Lee gets INT, center Travis Frederick takes a snap at QB; plus how much money each Cowboy made at the Pro Bowl". DallasNews.com. January 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
- Wesseling, Chris (August 13, 2016). "Travis Frederick signs six-year, $56.4M extension". NFL.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
- "Cowboys Vote 5 Team Captains For 2016 Season". September 9, 2016.
- "Three rookies, Matt Ryan among players named to All-Pro team". NFL.com. January 6, 2017.
- "'Top 100 Players of 2017': No. 87 Travis Frederick". NFL.com.
- "NFL announces 2018 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
- "Cowboys plan to keep OL Travis Frederick on roster". NFL.com. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
- Helman, David (October 6, 2018). "Cowboys Make Two Injury Moves Ahead Of Week 5". DallasCowboys.com.
- "Cowboys C Travis Frederick announces retirement". Dallas News. March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- Walker, Patrik. "Cowboys center Travis Frederick announces retirement at age 29". www.cbssports.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- "Lions host C Travis Frederick and LB Jeremiah Green for pre-draft visits Friday".
- Helman, David (August 22, 2018). "Frederick Diagnosed With Guillian Barré Syndrome". DallasCowboys.com.