Clarence John (Jack) Novak (born June 6, 1953 in

Kewaunee, Wisconsin Kewaunee is a city in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,837 at the 2020 census. Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the city is the county seat of Kewaunee County. Its Menominee name is ''Kewāneh'', ...

) is an American former

professional football In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

player who played

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

from 1975 to 1977.

Early life

Novak played football and basketball at Kewaunee High School, from which he graduated in 1971. During his senior season, he led the team to an undefeated season. He was named to the

UPI United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...

All-State Team.

College career

In March 1971 as a high school senior, he announced he would attend the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for three seasons for the Badgers. In those three season, he played 33 games at tight end for the Badgers, with career totals of 49 receptions for 965 yards and six touchdowns.

Professional career

Novak was drafted in the 12th round of the

1975 NFL Draft The 1975 National Football League draft was held January 28–29, 1975, at the New York Hilton at Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Steve Bartko ...

by the Cincinnati Bengals. During his rookie season of 1975, he played in all 14 games, primarily on special teams and as a backup tight end. He totaled two receptions for 34 yards (a 17.0 average) for the season. On September 7, 1976, Novak signed with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That season, he played in 12 games, starting one at tight end, and had his most productive season with eight receptions for 130 yards (a 16.3 average) and one touchdown. His lone career touchdown came on a 30-yard pass from

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former American football, football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often ...

in a 28-19 loss to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. It was also his longest career reception. His third and final NFL season was 1977 for the Bucs, in which he played nine games, starting two, with two receptions for 24 yards (a 12.0 average).

Personal life

He is president of the Novak Insurance and Real Estate Agency in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. He also assists coaching the Kewaunee High School football team. A plaque on the school's Wall of Fame commemorates his career. He resides in Kewaunee with his wife, Merrie, and has 8 grandchildren. A lot of his grandchildren play sports, in which he attends the events.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Novak, Jack American football tight ends Wisconsin Badgers football players Cincinnati Bengals players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players People from Kewaunee, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin Basketball players from Wisconsin Living people 1953 births American men's basketball players