Frank Edgar Cornish III (born June 20, 1944), generally referred to as Frank Cornish Jr., is a former professional
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
player who played
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
for seven seasons for the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
, the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
, the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
, and the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
. He played in
Super Bowl VI
Super Bowl VI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...
with the Dolphins.
Cornish, who played both offensive and defensive tackle in college at Grambling State, was a starter at left offensive tackle for the Jacksonville Sharks of the
World Football League
The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...
(WFL) during the league's inaugural season in 1974. In a game program for a game between the Sharks and Philadelphia Bell, played on September 11, 1974, Cornish was listed at 6-foot-3, 282 pounds.
Cornish, who battled weight problems throughout his career, was suspended in August 1968 by Bears coach Jim Dooley, after Cornish weighed in at more than 330 pounds.
His son Frank Edgar Cornish IV, generally referred to as
Frank Cornish
Frank Edgar Cornish IV (September 24, 1967 – August 22, 2008) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Philadelphia Eagl ...
, also played in the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
. The younger Cornish died of heart disease in his sleep at his home on August 22, 2008. In
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...
, Cornish and his son became the first father-son combination to have appeared in a
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
(he played in
Super Bowl VI
Super Bowl VI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...
).
References
1944 births
Living people
Players of American football from New Orleans
American football defensive tackles
Grambling State Tigers football players
Chicago Bears players
Miami Dolphins players
Buffalo Bills players
{{defensive-lineman-1940s-stub