Novacek a Hall of Famer
College football selection

     Gothenburg native, Jay Novacek, was among 15 players and coaches who were named to the College Football Hall Of Fame Friday.

     Novacek was joined in the selections by Bill Cannon, Troy Aikman and Lou Holtz.

     Cannon was a Heisman Trophy winner while playing for LSU in 1957-59. He was an exceptional tailback.

     Aikman gained college stardom at Oklahoma. Later, he and Novacek played together on Super Bowl teams for the Dallas Cowboys.

     Holtz' coaching career stretched over 30 years at a half dozen different schools. He guided Notre Dame to the national championship in 1988, and today is a sports analyst for television.

     Novacek graduated from Gothenburg High School in 1981. At 6'4", he was an all-state quarterback for the Swedes while playing for his father, Coach Pat Novacek.

     Unlike his time with the Cowboys, Novacek didn't win any major championships with GBurg.

     In an earlier interview, Novacek said, "My highlight was my senior year of high school football at Gothenburg. It was the best sports time I've had. I would place it above the Super Bowls. The guys from that team are still my best friends."

     That year Gothenburg finished with a 7-1 won-loss record, but didn't make the playoffs. Lexington put the only blemish on the Swede prospects for a perfect season, 6-7. Jay noted, "I missed a couple of field goals" in that game.

     After graduating from GHS, Jay became an All-American in football and track at the University of Wyoming.

     Later, after playing in the NFL with the St. Louis-Arizona Cardinals, Novacek joined the Cowboys. During his Dallas tenure, Novacek was the starting tight end in the 1990's. He played on teams that won three Super Bowls and was named to five Pro Bowls. He ended a 12-year NFL career when he retired at the end of the 1996 season.

     Other players chosen by the National Football Foundation selection committee for the Hall Of Fame were:

     Virginia offensive tackle Jim Dombrowski; Northwestern linebacker Pat Fitzgerald; Florida linebacker Wilber Marshall; Washington State running back Ruben Mayes; Arizona State guard Randall McDaniel; Syracuse quarterback Don McPherson; Texas Tech split end Dave Parks; Florida State nose guard Ron Simmons; Oklahoma State running back Thurman Thomas; and Army quarterback Arnold Tucker.

     John Cooper a coach for Tulsa, Arizona State and Ohio State, was also picked for the Hall. His teams finished with a 192-84-6 record.

     Holtz' teams at six different schools won 249 games.

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