TaylorHicksRocks
10-08-2006, 07:13 PM
Jay Novacek - A True Cowboy
Mike Donnelly
NFLPLAYERS.COM
03/22/2006
Somewhere amid the hills, canyons and prairie grass you'll find Jay Novacek hard at work and enjoying life in the countryside of his 3,500-acre ranch near Brady, Nebraska. It's the place of Novacek's home and business and it's the life that he's always wanted to have. Most retired NFL players of Novacek's caliber often mention how fortunate they were to spend the best years of their lives getting paid to play a game they love but Novacek has an even greater appreciation for the life he's built with his family on the Upper 84 Ranch.
"If I was to have a vacation and take six days off and do whatever I wanted then it would be on the ranch." "The most satisfying thing about the ranch is that I'm doing all the things that I love to do from the horses, to cattle, to hunting and to putting on cattle drives for clients," said Novacek. "When I want to unwind and relax it's on the ranch. If I was to have a vacation and take six days off and do whatever I wanted then it would be on the ranch."
Novacek, one of the greatest tight ends to put on the Dallas Cowboys jersey, runs Upper 84 Ranch, a private hunting and cattle ranch that provides guests with a variety of outdoor experiences. Guests can hunt for elk, deer, buffalo and several other big-game species, or hunt for geese, quail, ducks, and pheasants. The typical stay at the ranch is a four-day guided hunt that also includes home cooked meals and lodging in a 20,000 square foot apartment that includes a hot tub, pool table, indoor basketball court and archery range. In addition, throughout the year people have the opportunity to participate in cattle drives across the ranch.
"I have my hands involved with every aspect that goes into the ranch," said Novacek. "I have my wife and one full-time guy to help, along with my mother who cooks all the meals and my dad who helps out whenever he can. I do as much as possible from the guiding to running the entire operation. It's basically a 3,500-acre big playground for adults but we also have quite a few kids come out with their families to ride horseback or hunt. We have a lot of first-time hunters so it's neat to get people involved with that when they've never done it before."
Novacek's ranch was first up and running in the early 1990's while he was embedded in the prime of a very successful NFL career. He started in the pros with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985 and went to Dallas in 1990 where he became a five-time Pro Bowler from 1990 through his last season in the league in 1995. During his six seasons as a Cowboy, no other NFL tight end caught more passes (339) than Novacek.
"I was pretty much just as good a player with the Cardinals as I was with the Cowboys," said Novacek. "I was just put in a different situation with the Cowboys. Troy (Aikman) and I just happened to be on the same page. When those things happen you'll be a great team. If I did something that wasn't drawn up in the playbook, it didn't affect Troy at all because he knew I'd still be at the right place at the right time."
As a Cowboy, Novacek was one of the key pieces to a Dallas franchise that went on to win three Super Bowls in 1992, 1993 and 1995. In those big games alone, he posted a combined total of 17 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Novacek's remarkable pass-catching and route running abilities gave him a total of 422 receptions for 4,620 yards and 30 touchdowns during his NFL career.
In essence, Novacek has always been a true Cowboy. He grew up always dreaming of one day running his own ranch and he became a star on the gridiron for both the University of Wyoming Cowboys and Dallas Cowboys. While his strongest aspirations were always fixated on a life on the ranch, there's no denying from Novacek that he also needed to utilize and exhaust the athletic talents given to him. He was a two-sport All-American at Wyoming, setting school records in the decathlon and pole vault which led to him compete in the 1984 Olympic trials. But after a long NFL career his body had absorbed enough wear and tear and was ready to make the transition to life on the ranch. "My back wasn't in the best of shape, I'd played 11 years and I had the ranch which is what I wanted to do from the beginning," said Novacek about his decision to retire from the NFL.
When Novacek's not totally engrossed with his work on the ranch he tries to get away to get back in touch with the game of football and explore other facets of the business world. "The hardest thing about the ranch is that there are just never enough hours during the day," said Novacek. "We put in long hours and never seem to get everything done that we'd like. But I'm also still heavily involved in my football camp, speaking engagements, autograph sessions and endorsements so I need to work closely with those companies. Most of those things take place in Texas so it's nice to get back there. We've always got a lot to do so we're never bored with what's going on."
Without a doubt his most shining moments were in Dallas and it's also become the subject of some his most memorable moments in his life. "There are many things I miss but just being a part of a team with the friendships that can only happen with a group of guys on a team that have the same goals are the biggest things," said Novacek. "All the games don't really matter to me now. To get back every two or three years and see my old teammates means 10 times more to me now than any Super Bowl."
Mike Donnelly
NFLPLAYERS.COM
03/22/2006
Somewhere amid the hills, canyons and prairie grass you'll find Jay Novacek hard at work and enjoying life in the countryside of his 3,500-acre ranch near Brady, Nebraska. It's the place of Novacek's home and business and it's the life that he's always wanted to have. Most retired NFL players of Novacek's caliber often mention how fortunate they were to spend the best years of their lives getting paid to play a game they love but Novacek has an even greater appreciation for the life he's built with his family on the Upper 84 Ranch.
"If I was to have a vacation and take six days off and do whatever I wanted then it would be on the ranch." "The most satisfying thing about the ranch is that I'm doing all the things that I love to do from the horses, to cattle, to hunting and to putting on cattle drives for clients," said Novacek. "When I want to unwind and relax it's on the ranch. If I was to have a vacation and take six days off and do whatever I wanted then it would be on the ranch."
Novacek, one of the greatest tight ends to put on the Dallas Cowboys jersey, runs Upper 84 Ranch, a private hunting and cattle ranch that provides guests with a variety of outdoor experiences. Guests can hunt for elk, deer, buffalo and several other big-game species, or hunt for geese, quail, ducks, and pheasants. The typical stay at the ranch is a four-day guided hunt that also includes home cooked meals and lodging in a 20,000 square foot apartment that includes a hot tub, pool table, indoor basketball court and archery range. In addition, throughout the year people have the opportunity to participate in cattle drives across the ranch.
"I have my hands involved with every aspect that goes into the ranch," said Novacek. "I have my wife and one full-time guy to help, along with my mother who cooks all the meals and my dad who helps out whenever he can. I do as much as possible from the guiding to running the entire operation. It's basically a 3,500-acre big playground for adults but we also have quite a few kids come out with their families to ride horseback or hunt. We have a lot of first-time hunters so it's neat to get people involved with that when they've never done it before."
Novacek's ranch was first up and running in the early 1990's while he was embedded in the prime of a very successful NFL career. He started in the pros with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985 and went to Dallas in 1990 where he became a five-time Pro Bowler from 1990 through his last season in the league in 1995. During his six seasons as a Cowboy, no other NFL tight end caught more passes (339) than Novacek.
"I was pretty much just as good a player with the Cardinals as I was with the Cowboys," said Novacek. "I was just put in a different situation with the Cowboys. Troy (Aikman) and I just happened to be on the same page. When those things happen you'll be a great team. If I did something that wasn't drawn up in the playbook, it didn't affect Troy at all because he knew I'd still be at the right place at the right time."
As a Cowboy, Novacek was one of the key pieces to a Dallas franchise that went on to win three Super Bowls in 1992, 1993 and 1995. In those big games alone, he posted a combined total of 17 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Novacek's remarkable pass-catching and route running abilities gave him a total of 422 receptions for 4,620 yards and 30 touchdowns during his NFL career.
In essence, Novacek has always been a true Cowboy. He grew up always dreaming of one day running his own ranch and he became a star on the gridiron for both the University of Wyoming Cowboys and Dallas Cowboys. While his strongest aspirations were always fixated on a life on the ranch, there's no denying from Novacek that he also needed to utilize and exhaust the athletic talents given to him. He was a two-sport All-American at Wyoming, setting school records in the decathlon and pole vault which led to him compete in the 1984 Olympic trials. But after a long NFL career his body had absorbed enough wear and tear and was ready to make the transition to life on the ranch. "My back wasn't in the best of shape, I'd played 11 years and I had the ranch which is what I wanted to do from the beginning," said Novacek about his decision to retire from the NFL.
When Novacek's not totally engrossed with his work on the ranch he tries to get away to get back in touch with the game of football and explore other facets of the business world. "The hardest thing about the ranch is that there are just never enough hours during the day," said Novacek. "We put in long hours and never seem to get everything done that we'd like. But I'm also still heavily involved in my football camp, speaking engagements, autograph sessions and endorsements so I need to work closely with those companies. Most of those things take place in Texas so it's nice to get back there. We've always got a lot to do so we're never bored with what's going on."
Without a doubt his most shining moments were in Dallas and it's also become the subject of some his most memorable moments in his life. "There are many things I miss but just being a part of a team with the friendships that can only happen with a group of guys on a team that have the same goals are the biggest things," said Novacek. "All the games don't really matter to me now. To get back every two or three years and see my old teammates means 10 times more to me now than any Super Bowl."