Ben Fricke, who played center for the Dallas Cowboys from 1999 to 2001, has died of colon cancer. He was 35.

FOX 26 in Houston confirmed Fricke’s passing with Mark Howard, the football coach at Centennial High School in Frisco, Texas, where Fricke had been working as an assistant coach.

“Ben passed away [Monday] from colon cancer,” Howard said. “I’ve known Ben for three years and gave him his first high school coaching job. It’s like we’ve had a death in the family. That’s what I told the team.”

Coming out of high school Fricke got a scholarship to the University of Houston as a defensive lineman. But he moved to offense and became an All-American center. He was drafted by the Giants and spent a season in NFL Europe before catching on with the Cowboys.

Fricke is survived by his wife and two children.