Jay Novacek

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Novacek was born in Martin, South Dakota, and attended Gothenburg High School in central Nebraska, where he was a two-year starter at quarterback and a three-sport athlete. In 1980, he set the state record in the pole vault and won state titles in that event and hurdles. He was an All-state football and basketball player, and his jersey is the only one retired in school history. He was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. In college at Wyoming, he started as a split end before moving to tight end. In 1984, he posted 33 receptions for 745 yards, 4 touchdowns, and set an NCAA single-season record for average per reception (22.6 yards) by a tight end. He was a consensus All-American and first-team All-WAC. He also competed in track, winning the WAC decathlon championship, placing fourth at the NCAA championships, and setting school records in decathlon points (7,615) and pole vault. He competed in the 1984 Olympic trials as a decathlete. He was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2014.

In Their Own Story

The turning point for Novacek's career came in 1992 when he was named an All-Pro after leading all tight ends with 68 receptions for 630 yards and 6 touchdowns. This performance capped a run where he helped the Cowboys make the playoffs every year from his arrival through 1995, securing three Super Bowl victories. His final season in 1995 was marked by resilience; despite undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to repair a partial tear of his medial meniscus before the last game, he helped the team defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. That year, he posted his second-highest single-season total for receptions with 62 and 5 touchdowns, alongside a career-high 705 receiving yards. His journey ended abruptly due to chronic lower-back problems caused by a degenerative disc. Although the Cowboys kept him off injured reserve during the 1996 regular season hoping he would recover for the playoffs, he was placed on the list on January 3, 1997, and officially retired on July 15, 1997.

Reader's Guide

Novacek was selected in the sixth round (158th overall) of the 1985 NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. As a rookie, he played wide receiver and special teams. In 1986, he was moved to tight end but spent time on injured reserve. In 1987, he started at tight end until a broken elbow; he finished with 20 receptions for 254 yards and 3 touchdowns. In 1988, the franchise moved to Phoenix, and Novacek ranked third on the team with 569 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. In 1989, his production fell to 23 receptions for 225 yards and one touchdown. In 1990, under new head coach Joe Bugel, Novacek was left unprotected under Plan B free agency. The Dallas Cowboys signed him as a Plan B free agent, arguably the best signing in the program's history. He became the starter at tight end and had a breakout season with 59 receptions for 657 yards and 4 touchdowns. From 1991 to 1995, he played in five straight Pro Bowls, helped the Cowboys make the playoffs each year, and won three Super Bowls in four seasons. In 1992, he was named All-Pro after leading all tight ends with 68 receptions for 630 yards and 6 touchdowns. In 1995, he posted 62 receptions, 5 touchdowns, and a career-high 705 receiving yards. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery before the last game but helped beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. In 1996, he missed the regular season due to a degenerative disc in his back; the Cowboys did not put him on injured reserve initially, hoping he could return for the playoffs. On January 3, 1997, he was placed on injured reserve. On July 15, he officially retired due to chronic lower-back problems. In 11 seasons, he recorded 422 receptions for 4,630 yards (ninth in team history) and 30 touchdowns. In the postseason, he ranked third in franchise playoff history in receptions (62), receiving yards (645), and touchdown receptions (6).

Did You Know?

• Novacek set an NCAA single-season record for average per reception (22.6 yards) by a tight end in 1984.
• He was also selected by the Houston Gamblers in the fifth round of the 1985 USFL draft.
• Novacek was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
• His jersey is the only one retired at Gothenburg High School.