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© 2025 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Sunday, October 11, 2026

The Life And Career Of Jay Novacek

Ben Donahue
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The Life And Career Of Jay Novacek
Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport

 

NFL fans may recall the Dallas Cowboys’ “Triplets” of the 1990s: quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and receiver Michael Irvin.

Of course, the offense had other unsung heroes, including tight end Jay Novacek.

Novacek was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and played five years with the organization before signing with Dallas in 1990.

The timing couldn’t have been better, as the Cowboys were just about to become a dynasty.

Playing at a lithe 6’4” and 234 pounds, Novacek didn’t look like the prototypical tight end.

However, he was very good at finding space on passing routes.

From 1991 through the 1995 season, Novacek was voted to five straight Pro Bowls and selected All-Pro twice.

His recognition coincided with the Cowboys’ three Super Bowl wins in 1992, 1993, and 1995.

Since retiring after the 1996 season, Novacek has become a public speaker, runs a football camp, has appeared in local commercials in the Dallas area, and runs a ranch.

This is the story of Jay Novacek.

 

Gothenburg High Star

Jay McKinley Novacek was born on October 24, 1962, in Martin, South Dakota.

Novacek’s father, Pat, was a high school football coach, and the family moved several times for Pat’s coaching career.

The Novaceks lived in South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming, often watching their dad’s games from the car.

Money was scarce, but the family learned to survive.

Whenever Jay wasn’t in school, he could be found hunting with his father.

“Back then, it seemed like the kids refused to eat anything that their daddy didn’t shoot. . . . That was how we got most of our meat,” June Novacek said. “Of course, a lot of times I would have to tell them that Daddy shot that tuna casserole.”

By the time he began attending Gothenburg High School in Gothenburg, Nebraska, Novacek had sprouted to over six feet while developing great athletic skills.

He played football and basketball and ran track for the Swedes.

Novacek’s quarterback talent earned him selection to the All-State teams in football and basketball, and he set records in the pole vault (a state record of 15 feet, 1 inch) and the hurdles.

“I was very fortunate to be able to grow up in a small town and be able to play all three sports,” said Novacek.

Gothenburg High later retired his number (15), the only retired number in school history, and Novacek was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.

 

Playing for the Wyoming Cowboys

At the time, the Nebraska Cornhuskers were one of the best college programs in the country.

So, it stands to reason that the school would snap up Novacek in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, then-head coach Tom Osborne and his staff were a day late, literally.

The University of Wyoming and head coach Al Kincaid got to Novacek first and offered him a full ride.

Osborne offered a day later.

“During the same phone call in which they offered the thing [scholarship], Jay told them no, turned them down flat,” said Pat Novacek, pride evident in his firm voice. “He had given Wyoming his word.”

Novacek arrived in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1981 and spent his first year learning to play receiver after playing quarterback in high school.

Since Kincaid ran the wishbone offense, Novacek wouldn’t get many receiving opportunities.

In 1982, he was moved to tight end despite weighing just north of 220 pounds.

As the Cowboys went 5-7, Novacek caught 16 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns.

 

All-American in Two Sports

Before the 1983 season, Coach Kincaid put Novacek at tight end/receiver, and he hauled in 34 passes for 503 yards and three scores.

Wyoming went 7-5 that year.

When he wasn’t playing football for the Pokes, Novacek competed on the track team and did well.

In fact, in 1984, he was named an All-American in both sports.

During the spring, Novacek set school records in the decathlon with 7,615 points while winning the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship, and in the pole vault with a jump of 16 feet, four inches.

Furthermore, Novacek was invited to compete in the U.S. Olympic trials that summer but did not make the final team.

Then, in the fall, he caught 33 passes for 745 yards and four touchdowns, and his 22.6 yards per reception set an NCAA record for a tight end in a single season.

He was selected as a first-team All-WAC and a Consensus All-American.

In 1993, Novacek was inducted into the Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame for its inaugural class, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

 

Sixth Round Pick

flag with the NFL logo waving

 

“I’ve always said that all other sports help you become better football players; football doesn’t help you become better at any other sport,” Novacek said in 2021. “Because of my track background, that helped me become a much better football player.”

Novacek’s track skills helped him achieve modest numbers as a pass-catcher, including college totals of 83 receptions for 1,536 yards and 10 touchdowns, with another score rushing.

NFL teams saw a raw prospect who could develop into something special.

With the 185th overall pick in the sixth round of the 1985 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Cardinals picked the 6’4, 234-pound Novacek.

The United States Football League was playing at the time, and the Houston Gamblers franchise selected him with the 69th overall pick in the fifth round of the USFL Draft.

After looking over both options, Novacek decided to suit up for head coach Jim Hanifan’s Cardinals.

Hanifan moved him to receiver to compete against veterans Roy Green and Pat Tilley.

During his rookie year, Novacek saw action in all 16 games, primarily on special teams, and caught one pass for four yards.

 

Coming Into His Own

The ‘85 Cardinals finished 5-11 and were 4-11-1 in 1986 under new head coach Gene Stallings.

Before the ‘86 season began, the new coaching staff shifted Novacek back to tight end, but he was injured and spent the majority of the year on injured reserve.

Finally, in 1987, the tight end got four starts while competing for playing time with rookies Robert Awalt and William Harris.

As the Cards won seven games, Novacek caught 20 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns.

Once again, an injury slowed his progress after breaking his elbow during a contest with the New York Giants in Week 6.

The franchise then moved to Phoenix, Arizona, before the 1988 season began.

Quarterback Neil Lomax found Novacek 38 times for 569 yards and four touchdowns.

Then, in 1989, Gary Hogeboom replaced Lomax, and Novacek’s progress went backward with just 23 catches for 225 yards and one touchdown.

 

Dallas Signs Novacek

Dallas Cowboys helmets
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

 

In early 1990, the Cardinals hired Joe Bugel to be their new head coach.

Bugel had spent the previous nine years as the offensive line coach with the Washington Redskins and their infamous “Hogs” offensive line.

The coach loved great blocking and the running game.

His offensive philosophy was to have his tight ends block and occasionally act as an H-back.

Novacek didn’t fit that role, and he was left unprotected by the franchise and available for any team to sign.

Weeks later, the Dallas Cowboys signed him as a Plan B free agent.

At first glance, the tight end wasn’t heading to a very good team.

Dallas had gone 1-15 in 1989 during the first year of head coach Jimmy Johnson’s tenure.

However, there was a dynasty brewing.

Quarterback Troy Aikman had been picked first overall by the Cowboys in the ‘89 draft, along with Syracuse fullback Daryl Johnston in the second round.

The organization then traded running back Herschel Walker to Minnesota during the season for a king’s ransom in players and picks.

In the first round of the 1990 draft, Florida running back Emmitt Smith was picked by Dallas.

During Novacek’s first season that year, the Cowboys improved to 7-9, and the tight end started 15 games and caught 59 passes for 657 yards and four touchdowns.

His catch total was only two less than he caught the previous two seasons combined with the Cardinals.

 

Pro Bowls and Super Bowls

American Football Field

 

The franchise rebuild for the Cowboys was quick.

In 1991, Novacek hauled in another 59 passes from Aikman for 664 yards and four touchdowns and was voted as a second-team All-Pro and to his first Pro Bowl.

Aikman, Smith, and receiver Michael Irvin would become known as “The Triplets,” but Novacek was an unheralded offensive weapon.

“He is our go-to guy,” Dallas guard John Gesek said. “When we need him, he always finds a way to get open, a way to make the play. “He catches balls nobody else can catch, and gets first downs that nobody else would get.”

The Cowboys went 11-5 and advanced to the divisional round before losing to the Detroit Lions.

Then, in 1992, it all came together for the organization.

While Novacek posted career highs with 68 receptions and six scores and was a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler, the team went 13-3 and advanced all the way to Super Bowl XXVII against the high-flying Buffalo Bills.

“I think the major moment for us was when Norv Turner showed up as our offensive coordinator [hired in 1991]. The type of offense that he ran really fit the personnel that we had,” said Novacek in 2016.

After the Bills scored first, Aikman found Novacek for a 23-yard touchdown in the first quarter to tie the game at seven.

By the end of the day, Dallas had blistered Buffalo, 52-17.

 

More Accolades

In 1993, the ‘Boys kept on trucking.

Dallas went 12-4, then blitzed through the playoffs and repeated as champs after beating Buffalo again in Super Bowl XXVIII, 30-13, a contest where Novacek had five catches for 26 yards.

That season, he was voted to his third consecutive Pro Bowl with 44 receptions for 445 yards and a touchdown.

A year later, he caught 47 passes for 475 yards and three combined scores for Pro Bowl number four.

Dallas came up just short of a three-peat after losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

Then, in 1995, the tight end found himself battling a partially torn medial meniscus, yet still grabbed 62 passes for 705 yards (career high) and five touchdowns.

“What is pressure? You can’t touch pressure or feel pressure,” Novacek said. “It doesn’t exist. “The way I figure it, either you do it, or you don’t. You catch it, or you don’t.”

He was voted to his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl and was part of the crew that took Dallas back to Super Bowl XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Just as they had done a few years earlier, Aikman and Novacek connected again in the first quarter, this time on a three-yard reception to increase the Cowboys’ lead to 10-0.

During Dallas’ 27-17 win, Novacek caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.

 

Retirement

retirement

 

Just when Novacek was on a roll, his career ended.

A degenerative disc in his back became such a problem that he didn’t play the entire 1996 season, hoping to return at some point.

However, when the condition didn’t improve after the Cowboys’ 10-6 regular season, the team put their tight end on injured reserve for the playoffs.

In the summer of 1997, Novacek decided to retire.

During his 11-year career, he posted totals of 422 receptions for 4,630 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Novacek also had 12 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

He was a two-time All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler, and three-time Super Bowl champion.

 

Highs and Lows in Retirement

When his NFL career ended, Novacek returned home to Nebraska and spent years on his sprawling 3,500-acre ranch near Brady, Nebraska.

The ranch included 150 head of cattle, and it was used for private hunting parties.

In the mid-2000s, Novacek, his wife Leanne, and their daughter moved to a ranch in Texas, and the couple got involved in charities such as the Careity Foundation, an organization devoted to helping cancer patients navigate financial difficulties.

Tragically, in early February 2010, Leanne visited her mother in Burleson, Texas, and committed suicide.

The sudden loss devastated Novacek and his daughter, and he pulled back from public life.

Years later, Novacek remarried, and his second wife, Amy, gave birth to their son, Blake.

Once again, tragedy struck the Novacek family when Blake was left with permanent brain damage after a hazing incident at the University of Oklahoma.

“It’s always a blessing to be able to go through those hardships, even though you don’t think it is at that time, and to succeed and go on,” Novacek said in 2021.

Novacek, who will turn 64 in November, spends his days with his family, tending to his animals, running football camps, and making occasional public appearances as a public speaker.

 

References

https://gowyo.com

https://www.armedforcesbowl.com

https://www.powelltribune.com

https://www.oklahoman.com

https://www.latimes.com

https://nebraska.tv

https://www.thebiglead.com

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com

https://www.sports-reference.com

https://bleacherreport.com

https://nebraska.tv

wyohof.com

https://www.cfbhall.com

nebhalloffame.org

https://footballfoundation.org

https://www.pro-football-reference.com

NEXT:  The Life And Career Of Danny White

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Ben Donahue
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Pro Football History Staff
Ben Donahue
Contributor at Pro Football History
Over 25 years of experience in sports including coach, athletic director, game day operations, media relations, football operations, and scout. He is [...]

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