Next time you step up to the register on the upper level of Brown and Gold notice the picture of Jay Novacek, stand-out tight end, to the left of the counter.  The picture is placed highest on a column by the stairs.  In the photo Novacek is wearing his very recognizable number 84 football jersey.  He is on one knee with a Wyoming Cowboys football helmet at his feet. 
 
Jay McKinley Novacek was born on October 24, 1962 in Martin South Dakota.  Novacek attended high school in Gothenburg, Nebraska before heading to Wyoming to compete in football as well as track for the University of Wyoming Cowboys. 
 
Novacek was a two sport All-American at Wyoming.  He was a record setting football player and track and field performer.  He was selected to the Kodak All-American football team in 1984 after he set an NCAA record for receiving yards per receptions by a tight end.  Novacek had 83 career receptions for 1,536 yards and ten touchdowns as a tight end.  He won the Western Athletic Conference decathlon championships earning All-American honors.  Novacek set records for UW in decathlon points with 7,615, as well as in the pole vault with 16'4". 
 
After finishing a successful career at the University of Wyoming Novacek went in to the NFL Draft in 1985.  He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth round.  After spending five seasons with the Cardinals, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a Plan B free agent.  Novacek was a key player for Dallas in the early 1990s, assisting them to three Super Bowl wins in fours seasons.  In those games he recorded a combined total of 17 receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns.  Novacek was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a five-time All-Pro selection.  After 11 seasons in the NFL, Novacek officially retired in 1996.  In those 11 seasons Novacek recorded 422 receptions for 4,630 yards and 30 touchdowns.
 
After his career in the NFL, Novacek still stays involved in the sport.  He currently serves as a spokesperson for the Alltel Wireless "Yards 4 Youth Football" programs in West Texas.  For every yard gained by the six high school football teams in the Little Southwest Conference, Alltel is donating $1 to each school's corresponding youth football organization.  He also runs the Jay Novacek Football Camp for Kids in several states each year.
 
Novacek now resides in Brady, Nebraska where he owns and runs his own private hunting ranch.  There he guides personal hunting trips for visitors.  Novacek was inducted into the UW Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993 where he will forever remain a legacy. 

 

Be sure to check out the picture of Jay Novacek when you visit us at our 21st and Grand Ave. store!