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In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
 Nowakowski in 2026 | |
| No. 37 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Fullback |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 30, 2002 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.[1] |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Marquette (Milwaukee) |
| College | |
| NFL draft | 2026: 5th round, 169th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Riley Nowakowski (born June 30, 2002)[2] is an American professional football fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).[3] He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2020 to 2024 before transferring to the Indiana Hoosiers in 2025 where his team won the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship. Nowakowski was selected by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Nowakowski attended Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he played football as a linebacker and running back. He was named first-team all-state as a senior and earned the John Anderson Award, given to the best senior linebacker in the state of Wisconsin. Nowakowski also competed in track and field and basketball in high school.[4][5]
Nowakowski began his college career as a walk-on player for the Wisconsin Badgers[6] and redshirted the 2020 season[4] after appearing in four games at linebacker,[7] recording one tackle. He played in two games in 2021, including in the 2021 Las Vegas Bowl against the Arizona State Sun Devils. He appeared in 13 games in 2022, converting to fullback and playing special teams.[4] In 2023, he converted to tight end,[5] primarily in a run-blocking role,[8] as Wisconsin's new head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo eliminated the team's fullback position.[9][10] He was also awarded a scholarship.[6] After missing the beginning of the season due to a foot injury,[11] he played in nine games, including his first career start against the Ohio State Buckeyes,[4] recording seven receptions for 57 yards; Nowakowski also scored his first career touchdown against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Nowakowski was named a team captain in 2024 and played in all 12 games, with nine starts, recording 11 receptions for 74 yards. He earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in each season from 2021 to 2024 at Wisconsin.[5]
Nowakowski transferred to play his final season of NCAA eligibility for the Indiana Hoosiers for the 2025 season,[12] filling a role vacated by Zach Horton, who graduated after 2024.[10][13] He earned the team's starting tight end role and served as one of the team's rotating game-day captains in six games.[14] Nowakowski scored his first touchdown with Indiana on a one-yard rush in a 56–9 win over the Kennesaw State Owls[15] and made critical blocks on multiple other touchdowns in the game;[16] head coach Curt Cignetti awarded Nowakowski the game ball for his performance, recognizing him as the team's offensive player of the game.[17] In a victory against his former team, the Wisconsin Badgers, Nowakowski scored a touchdown on a 21-yard reception from quarterback Fernando Mendoza.[18][19] In Indiana's 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship win against the Miami Hurricanes, Nowakowski scored the first touchdown of the game on a one-yard rush.[20][21] Nowakowski was named second-team All-Big Ten for the 2025 season.[22]
| Season | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2020 | Wisconsin | 4 | 0 | Did not record statistics | |||
| 2021 | Wisconsin | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2022 | Wisconsin | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 2023 | Wisconsin | 9 | 1 | 7 | 57 | 8.1 | 1 |
| 2024 | Wisconsin | 12 | 9 | 11 | 74 | 6.7 | 0 |
| 2025 | Indiana | 16 | 16 | 32 | 387 | 12.1 | 2 |
| Career[7] | 56 | 26 | 50 | 518 | 10.4 | 3 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄4 in (1.89 m) |
250 lb (113 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m) |
6 ft 5+1⁄4 in (1.96 m) |
4.66 s | 1.70 s | 2.75 s | 4.61 s | 7.43 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) |
9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[23][24] | ||||||||||||
Nowakowski was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round (169th overall) of the 2026 NFL draft.[25][26]
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Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Riley Nowakowski (born June 30, 2002) is an American professional football fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2020 to 2024 before transferring to the Indiana Hoosiers in 2025 where his team won the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship. Nowakowski was selected by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft.
The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship (officially known as the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T for sponsorship reasons) was a college football bowl game played on January 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. It was the 12th College Football Playoff National Championship and determined the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the 2025 season. It was the final game of the 2025–26 College Football Playoff (CFP) and the culminating game of the 2025–26 bowl season. The game began at approximately 7:30 p.m. EST and was televised nationally by ESPN. The game featured the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers of the Big Ten Conference and the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). It was the teams' third meeting and their first since 1966. Miami entered seeking their sixth national championship, and Indiana seeking its first. The Hoosiers entered as Big Ten champions with a 15–0 record, while Miami entered with a 13–2 record. Indiana placekicker Nico Radicic opened the scoring with a 34-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Three drives ending with a punt preceded it, and three more followed before Indiana scored on a touchdown rush by Riley Nowakowski to cap a 14-play drive with six minutes until halftime. Miami reached the Indiana 32-yard line with 33 seconds remaining but missed a 50-yard field goal and Indiana took a 10–0 lead to half. On Miami's second play of the second half, running back Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for a 57-yard touchdown to bring Miami within three points. Both teams punted twice afterwards, but Miami's second punt was blocked by Mikail Kamara and recovered in the end zone for an Indiana touchdown by Isaiah Jones. The teams traded scoring drives for much of the remainder of the game: Miami scored on a Fletcher rush and a pass from Carson Beck to Malachi Toney, and Indiana scored on a rush by quarterback Fernando Mendoza and a field goal by Radicic. Trailing by six points with 44 seconds remaining, Beck's pass was intercepted by Indiana defensive back Jamari Sharpe, sealing a 27–21 win for Indiana, winning the Hoosiers their first football national championship in school history. This was the third straight national championship won by the Big Ten Conference.
Riley is a transferred use of an English surname derived from Old English ryge 'rye' + lēah 'wood, clearing'. It is also derived from the Irish surname O'Reilly, which originated from the Irish name Raghallach, of unknown meaning.
Nowakowski (Polish pronunciation: [nɔvaˈkɔfski]; feminine: Nowakowska; plural: Nowakowscy) is a Polish-language surname. Derived from place names such as Nowakowo, it is related to the surnames Nowak and Nowakowicz.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →The Greenwood District.