[5] Linhart began his professional career in June 1962 with Wiener Sportclub in the Austrian Bundesliga;[3][6] he appeared in 195 matches, primarily as a defender, and scored 7 goals.

[8][9] He scored his only international goal in a friendly against Scotland in Glasgow on 8 May 1963 that was abandoned for rough play after a confrontation with Denis Law left Linhart injured.

[3][6][10][11] After former Cornell kicker Pete Gogolak won a spot on the roster of the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League in 1964 as a specialist placekicker and demonstrated that kicking the ball "soccer-style", using the instep rather than the toe, improved accuracy and distance, an increasing number of teams added "soccer-style" specialist kickers.

[10] After joining the Saints' summer training camp, Linhart witnessed and played in his first professional American football game on 7 August 1972, hitting a game-winning 9-yard field goal with 9 seconds remaining in preseason action against the Philadelphia Eagles.

[13] He found it difficult to adjust to playing on Astroturf instead of grass, saying later, "In practice my left foot was always hurting from the sudden stopping when I landed on the hard surface.

"[2] Throughout the preseason, he competed for a roster spot with the Saints' veteran kicker Charlie Durkee, but he was ultimately relegated at a lesser salary to the team's non-roster "taxi squad".

[18] One of Linhart's greatest moments in American football came late in the 1975 season in a game against the Miami Dolphins, winners of five straight AFC East division titles.

With the Colts riding a 7-game winning streak and making a run for the playoffs, the game stood tied 7–7 with less than three minutes remaining in the only overtime period allowed.

As fog descended into Memorial Stadium and with more than 59,000 fans on the edge of their seats, Linhart drilled the walk-off game winner, capturing the AFC East crown and keeping Baltimore's playoff hopes alive.

[19] After the game, Linhart told a reporter in a "soft, almost high-pitched voice that sounds British" that the kick was merely a matter of execution.

[17] After retiring from professional football at the end of the 1979 season, he lived in Baltimore, where he ran a direct marketing business and was involved in community service, including supporting the St. Vincent's Child Abuse Center.

"[4] Domres recalled that Linhart developed his own specialized exercise regimen making use of medicine balls and rubber resistance bands, and former teammates remembered the demanding obstacle course he created in training camp, which they were also obliged to run.