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Craig Novitsky
No. 60
Position: Guard
Personal information
Born: (1971-05-12) May 12, 1971 (age 53)
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
Career highlights and awards

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). [1] He was drafted by New Orleans in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL draft, and played three seasons with the Saints.

Early life

Novitsky was born in Washington, D.C., [2] and grew up in Woodbridge, Virginia. [3] As a youngster, people would make fun of where he was from, his name, and his height. [3] He attended Potomac High School in Prince William County, Virginia, where he was an all-state offensive lineman. [1] [3]

College career

Novitsky chose to play college ball with UCLA over USC, Duke, Penn State and Rutgers. [3] 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. [1] [4]

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. [3] He was an All-Pac-10 selection as a senior in 1993. [1] 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. [4]

Professional career

The New Orleans Saints selected Novitsky in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL Draft with the 143rd overall pick. [5] He played three seasons with the Saints, appearing in 41 games with 10 starts. [2]

After his playing career, he became a financial services manager with a Lexus car dealer in Alexandria, Virginia. [1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "All-75th Anniversary Offensive Team". InsideNova.com. October 21, 2014. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Craig Novitsky NFL Football Statistics". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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. Open access icon
  5. ^ "1994 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.

External links