Craig Novitsky
No. 60
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born: (1971-05-12) 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
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

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. 1 2 3 4 5 "All-75th Anniversary Offensive Team". InsideNova.com. October 21, 2014. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Craig Novitsky NFL Football Statistics". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 1 2 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 2023-03-31.
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