Scott Fitzkee
{{Short description|American football player (born 1957)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL player
|name=Scott Fitzkee
|number=81
|position=Wide receiver
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1957|4|8}}
|birth_place=York, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|height_ft = 6
|height_in = 0
|weight_lb = 187
|high_school = Red Lion {{nowrap|(Red Lion, Pennsylvania)}}
|college=Penn State
|draftyear=1979
|draftround=5
|draftpick=126
|pastteams=
- Philadelphia Eagles ({{NFL Year|1979}}–{{NFL Year|1980}})
- San Diego Chargers ({{NFL Year|1981}}–{{NFL Year|1982}})
- Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars ({{USFL Year|1983}}–{{USFL Year|1985}})
- Montreal Alouettes ({{CFL Year|1986}})
|highlights =
- First-team All-East (1978)
|statlabel1=Receptions
|statvalue1=17
|statlabel2=Receiving yards
|statvalue2=321
|statlabel3=Receiving touchdowns
|statvalue3=4
|pfr=FitzSc00
}}
Scott Austin Fitzkee (born April 8, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. In the NFL, Fitzkee played for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers, and in the USFL, he played for the Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars. He also played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Fitzkee attended Red Lion High School in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, where his father was the principal. Fitzkee was the captain of their football, basketball, and baseball teams, and he also won the state 100-yard dash championship. He then played at Penn State University, who converted him from running back to wide receiver.
Fitzkee was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 1979 NFL draft. As a rookie in 1979, he was the Eagles' third wide receiver, playing on special teams and seeing part-time action when the team used three-receiver sets. The team won 11 games for the first time since 1949.{{cite news|first=Chuck|last=Newman|title=Small-town hero yearns for spot in NFL limelight|date=December 20, 1979|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/130220148/|access-date=August 18, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} In 1980, Fitzkee caught a touchdown in both of the first two games of the season. However, he suffered a broken bone in week 4 against St. Louis, and broke it again in the playoffs versus Minnesota. The Eagles placed him on injured reserve to start the 1981 season. After Rodney Parker twisted his knee mid-season, Philadelphia tried to activate Fitzkee, but NFL rules required that he clear waivers first to be eligible to play for the Eagles that season. Instead, he was claimed by the San Diego Chargers on November 20, 1981,{{cite news|title=Scott Fitzkee: Here's How, And Why, The Eagles Lost Him To San Diego|date=November 29, 1981|newspaper=Sunday News|page=C-6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-news/130221923/|access-date=August 18, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|first=Rusty|last=Miller|title=Scott Fitzkee Claimed by Chargers|date=November 21, 1981|newspaper=York Daily Record|page=1C|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/york-daily-record/130221631/|access-date=August 18, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} and played in five games but not a single down on offense.{{cite pro-football-reference|name=Scott Fitzkee|id=F/FitzSc00|accessdate=January 7, 2024}}{{cite news|first=John|last=Mattei|title=Look for many changes in Chargers' 1982 edition|date=January 14, 1982|newspaper=Times-Advocate|page=D1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-advocate-chargers-1981-wrap-up/136318887/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 7, 2024}}
With the Chargers in 1982, Fitzkee was used little as a third receiver,{{cite news|first=Chris|last=Cobbs|title=Chargers Could Throw Away Season|date=March 25, 1983|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|at=Part III, p. 18|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/130225722/|access-date=August 18, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} catching only three passes. He thought that he had a good training camp and believed he outplayed Dwight Scales, who ended up with more playing time. Fitzkee decided to join the Philadelphia Stars of the new USFL in 1983.{{cite news|first=Pete|last=Domowitch|date=March 2, 1983|title=Stars Haven't Turned Deaf Ear To Fitzkee|newspaper=Philadelphia Daily News|page=69|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/130223578/|access-date=August 18, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} He signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL in 1986.{{cite news|title=Alouettes ink U.S. receiver|date=August 28, 1986|newspaper=Times Colonist|page=B4|agency=The Canadian Press|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-colonist/130224381/|access-date=August 18, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Eagles1979DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzkee, Scott}}
Category:American football wide receivers
Category:Montreal Alouettes players
Category:Penn State Nittany Lions football players
Category:Philadelphia Eagles players
Category:San Diego Chargers players
Category:Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars players
Category:Players of American football from York, Pennsylvania