the Cowboys secondary. His late hit in the end zone that upended the Packers' Boyd Dowler after a touchdown reception in the third quarter of the 1966 NFL Championship Game, caused Dowler a shoulder injury and allowed the seldom-used Max McGee to star in Super Bowl I two weeks later. Gaechter had been a mainstay on the Cowboys defense for most of the 1960s, until rupturing his Achilles tendon at the end of the 1969 season, in the third place Playoff Bowl loss to the Los Angeles Rams in January 1970. He never fully recovered, finishing with 8 seasons and 21 interceptions (13th in club history) during his time in Dallas. He also has two of the five longest interception returns in team history (100 yards and 86 yards in 1963 against the Washington Redskins). In 1970, Cornell Green moved from cornerback to strong safety to replace Gaechter who was placed on the injured reserve list. After sitting out the entire season, he was traded in 1971 to the Washington Redskins for a conditional draft choice (not exercised) on July 20. Washington Redskins In 1971, after only a few weeks of training camp under new head coach George Allen, Gaechter was released by the Redskins on August 11. Personal life Gaechter overcame being allergic to grass. In 1972 and 1982, he filed lawsuits against the Dallas Cowboys organization for medical malpractice. After suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Gaechter died of heart failure at age 75 on August 17, 2015. His wife Cheri donated his brain for research at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, which launched the Texas Institute for Brain Injury and Repair in 2014 and has established ties to the NFL. After his funeral mass at St. Ann's parish in Coppell, Geachter was buried at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas. References External links Ranking Best Cowboys Safeties In Franchise History Top 10 Undrafted Free Agents in Dallas Cowboys History Dallas Morning News: obituary - Mike Gaechter 1940 births 2015 deaths People from Lancaster, California Players of American football from California American football cornerbacks American football safeties Oregon Ducks football players Sports world record setters Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California Dallas Cowboys players Oregon Ducks men's track and field athletes Antelope Valley High School alumni Clark College alumni