1. Nicholas Ryan Novak was born on August 21,1981 and is an American former professional football placekicker.
49 Facts About Nick Novak
1. 2.
Nick Novak played college football at Maryland and was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005.
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In football, Nick Novak was a three-year varsity letterman, twice garnering All-District and All-Daily Progress honors, and winning All-State honors following his sophomore and senior seasons.
4.
Nick Novak was an All-District central defender on Albemarle's soccer team.
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Nick Novak would go on to establish himself as one of the more consistent and clutch kickers in the country; his leg keyed comeback victories against North Carolina State in 2002 and 2003.
6.
Accordingly, Nick Novak was frequently an all-conference specialist and a mainstay on the Lou Groza watchlist.
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Nick Novak ultimately ended his college career with 393 points, which was best in the league and fifth-best all-time amongst kickers in the NCAA at the time of his graduation.
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Nick Novak was awarded the Jim Tatum Award by the ACC, given annually to the top senior student-athlete among the league's football players.
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Nick Novak is one of only three Maryland players to receive that award since its inception in 1979.
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Nick Novak was a member of the Maryland Alpha chapter of Phi Delta Theta at The University of Maryland in College Park.
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Nick Novak was then signed by the Dallas Cowboys on August 30,2005, and was waived on September 3,2005.
12.
Since Nick Novak was signed that year for the limited purpose of filling in for an ailing John Hall, he was released shortly after Hall returned to form.
13.
Shortly after his release from the Redskins, Nick Novak was signed by the Arizona Cardinals for kickoff duties while Neil Rackers hobbled through the latter half of the 2005 season.
14.
Nick Novak appeared in five games for the Cardinals in 2005 and was 3 for 3 on field goal attempts.
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Nick Novak had a successful campaign in Europe, including a game-winner for the third-place Centurions.
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Nick Novak was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs on February 18,2008, after auditioning for several teams in the 2007 season, including the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chiefs.
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Nick Novak made a 23-yard field goal and three-point after touchdown kicks.
18.
On November 24, Nick Novak was named the UFL Special Teams MVP for the 2010 season.
19.
Notably, in mid-October 2010, the Chargers wanted to sign Nick Novak to replace an injured Nate Kaeding.
20.
Nick Novak beat out three other kickers in a tryout for the position at Charger Park.
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However, there were games still remaining in the UFL season and Nick Novak remained under contract with the Tuskers.
22.
On September 13,2011, Nick Novak was re-signed to a two-year contract with the Chargers after Nate Kaeding suffered an ACL injury to his left knee on the opening kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings.
23.
In 2011, Nick Novak made 27 of 34 field goals and set team records for field goals of 40 yards and 50 yards or longer.
24.
Nick Novak established an NFL career-high with a 53-yard field goal, and two of his three onside kicks were recovered.
25.
Nick Novak competed for the Chargers job in the preseason and had a strong showing before losing out to Kaeding.
26.
On September 29,2012, the Chargers re-signed Nick Novak after Kaeding suffered a groin injury.
27.
Nick Novak converted his other two attempts from beyond 50 yards.
28.
Nick Novak had 22 touchbacks out of 60 kickoffs with the opponents average starting field position being the 21.6 yard-line.
29.
In 2013, Nick Novak set a new single-season efficiency record, connecting on 34 of 37 field goals for the playoff-bound Chargers.
30.
Nick Novak surpassed Carney later in the season, extending his streak to 32.
31.
Nick Novak finished the 2014 season converting all 40 extra point attempts and 22 of 26 field goal attempts.
32.
On September 5,2015, Nick Novak was released in the final round of preseason cuts in favor of undrafted rookie Josh Lambo.
33.
Nick Novak did not have a touchback in the final half of 2014, while Lambo displayed a strong leg during exhibition games.
34.
Nick Novak converted 101 of 117 field goals in his four seasons with the Chargers.
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Nick Novak ended up sixth on the all-time Chargers scoring list with 503 points, passing Lance Alworth's 500 points.
36.
Nick Novak signed with the Houston Texans on September 29,2015.
37.
Nick Novak had his best year statistically for touchbacks, getting 23 on 62 kickoffs.
38.
Nick Novak's consistent kicking in 2015 was a key factor in several victories on the way to the Texans' AFC South Championship.
39.
Nick Novak finished the season with 127 points, good for the fourth best season point total in Texans history.
40.
On March 8,2017, Nick Novak signed a one-year, $3.15 million contract extension with the Texans.
41.
On October 5,2017, Nick Novak signed with the Los Angeles Chargers after struggles from rookie Younghoe Koo.
42.
Nick Novak passed Alworth with a field goal the following week.
43.
However, in the next game against Dallas Cowboys, Nick Novak suffered a back injury.
44.
Nick Novak was placed on injured reserve on December 2,2017.
45.
Nick Novak finished the season converting 17 of 18 extra points and nine of 13 field goal attempts in seven games.
46.
In October 2019, Nick Novak was selected by the Los Angeles Wildcats in the 2020 XFL Draft's open phase.
47.
Nick Novak was placed on injured reserve on March 3,2020.
48.
Nick Novak had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10,2020.
49.
In July 2021, Nick Novak was named Head Football Coach at Maranatha High School in San Diego, California after a season as Maranatha's Special Teams Coach.