Craig Aaron Novitsky (born May 12, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football with the UCLA Bruins. As a senior, Novitsky was an all-conference player in the Pacific-10 (now known as the Pac-12).[2] He was drafted by New Orleans in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL draft, and played three seasons with the Saints.
| No. 60 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | May 12, 1971 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight: | 295 lb (134 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Potomac (Dumfries, Virginia) |
| College: | UCLA (1990–1993) |
| NFL draft: | 1994 / round: 5 / pick: 143 |
| Career history | |
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editNovitsky was born in Washington, D.C.,[3] and grew up in Woodbridge, Virginia.[4] As a youngster, people would make fun of where he was from, his name, and his height.[4] He attended Potomac High School in Prince William County, Virginia, where he was an all-state offensive lineman.[2][4]
College career
editNovitsky chose to play college ball with UCLA over USC, Duke, Penn State and Rutgers.[4] He set a Bruins record with 46 straight starts, while also becoming the first player in school history to start every game of a four-year career.[2][5]
He was a redshirt in his first year. After four seniors graduated, he became a starter the following season, when he earned second-team Freshman All-American honors.[4] He was an All-Pac-10 selection as a senior in 1993.[2] Normally a left guard, he also played at center and left tackle that season. Due to injuries to teammates, he started at three different positions over three straight weeks.[5]
Professional career
editThe New Orleans Saints selected Novitsky in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL draft with the 143rd overall pick.[6] He played three seasons with the Saints, appearing in 41 games with 10 starts.[3]
After his playing career, he became a financial services manager with a Lexus car dealer in Alexandria, Virginia.[2]
References
edit- ^ Broncos 1998 Media Guide. p. 164. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "All-75th Anniversary Offensive Team". InsideNova.com. October 21, 2014. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017.
- ^ a b "Craig Novitsky NFL Football Statistics". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Hodges, Jim (September 23, 1993). "Few Can Put UCLA's Novitsky Down Now". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Dilbeck, Steve (December 28, 1993). "Lineman Novitsky durable fixture for UCLA". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. C-1. Retrieved June 14, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1994 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Pro Football Reference