Northern Illinois Huskies football

The Northern Illinois Huskies football team are a college football program representing Northern Illinois University (NIU) in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. NIU football plays its home games at Huskie Stadium on the campus of the Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.

Northern Illinois Huskies
2020 Northern Illinois Huskies football team
First season	1899
Athletic director	Sean Frazier
Head coach	Thomas Hammock
Stadium	Huskie Stadium (Capacity: 23,595)
Field	Brigham Field
Year built	1965
Field surface	FieldTurf
Location	DeKalb, Illinois
NCAA division	Division I FBS
Conference	Mid-American
Division	West
Past conferences	Independent (1899–1919) IIAC (Illinois) (1920–24) Independent (1925–1927) IIAC (Illinois) (1928–1949) IIAC (1950–2965) Independent (1966–1972) Mid-American (1973–1985) Independent (1986–1992) Big West (1993–1995) Independent (1996)
All-time record	548–465–51 (.539)
Bowl record	4–9 (.308)
Claimed nat'l titles	1 (1963)
Conference titles	12
Division titles	11
Rivalries	Ball State (rivalry)
Consensus All-Americans	3
Colors	Cardinal and Black[1]
Fight song	"Huskie Fight Song"[2]
Mascot	Victor E. Huskie[3]
Marching band	The Pride of the Midwest"[4]
Website	NIUHuskies.com

The Huskies compete in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a member of the West Division, where they have won five championships in 1983, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2018. They have played in twelve post-season bowl games since 2004, most notably the 2013 Orange Bowl.

History

Early history

NIU's football program was established in the late 19th century, playing its first ever game against DeKalb High School in 1899 and was led by coach John L. Keith to the team's first ever victory. NIU started out in the independent scene from 1899 through 1919 before joining the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The team became independent again in 1925. NIU returned to the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1928 and finished the season winless for the first time. In 1929 however, Chick Evans took over as the head football coach and immediately twisted the downhill fate of his team as he led his squad to a 6–1–1 record. Evans led the Huskies to continuous winning seasons since his take over, and his efforts paid off in 1938 as NIU captured the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, the team's first title. He followed it up with three more championships (1941, '44, and '46) and even led the Huskies' to a back-to-back bowl game appearance in 1946 and 1947.

In 1950, the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, which had dwindled down to only five members (NIU, SIU, EIU, WIU, and ISU) accepted its first members from out of state and changed its name to the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. With the exception of the spotless season (9–0–0) in 1951 that earned the team a 5th conference title, NIU failed to make a decent showing during the first few years in the newly named conference. Howard Fletcher though had other plans as he picked up the pieces of the miserable 0–8–1 season from Robert Kahler in 1956. The Huskies' had a slow progress that picked up in the late 1950s. The team's third bowl game appearance in 1962, although a loss, was only the beginning of good things to come as in the following season, the Huskies completed their sixth undefeated season which earned them the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, an AP College Division National championship selection, and a ticket to the prestigious Mineral Water Bowl which the team eventually won over Missouri State. The team made it a three-peat championship, adding up the 1964 and 1965 conference titles. NIU became independent from 1966 through '72 before joining the Mid-American Athletic Conference in 1973. The team claimed the MAC title in 1983 then went on to their first Bowl Game in the Division I-A, the California Bowl, which the Huskies won over Cal State-Fullerton. The team left the MAC after the 1985 season and first became independent from 1986–92, then joined the Big West Conference from 1993 through '95, becoming independent again in '96, then finally was admitted back into the Mid-American Conference in 1997.

Joe Novak era (1996–2007)

Joe Novak took over the Huskies program in December 1995, and coached his first NIU game in September 1996. The first three years of Novak's tenure proved to be tumultuous, as his Huskies squads won a total of three games between 1996 and 1998. Despite this, Novak kept his job and turned the program around. On October 17, 1998, the Huskies broke their epic losing streak, by defeating Central Michigan University 17-6. The student body tore down the goal posts, and carried them down Lincoln Highway, planting the goal posts in a campus lagoon.[5] University president John LaTourette personally paid to have new goal posts installed. In 1999, NIU won 5 games, and in 2000 Novak started a string of seven consecutive winning seasons, going 6–5 in both 2000 and 2001. After a 1–3 start to the 2002 season, fans began to see the fruits of Novak's labor as the team ripped off 7 consecutive wins, and only a 33–30 loss in their final game against rival Toledo prevented a MAC Championship Game appearance.

Optimism was high to start the 2003 season, with 12 returning starters including prospect and future NFL players Michael Turner, Doug Free, Brad Cieslak, P.J. Fleck, Dan Sheldon, Keith Perry, Vinson Reynolds, Akil Grant, Randee Drew, and Travis Moore. On opening weekend, the Huskies beat No. 15 Maryland, 20–13, in overtime. Then, the Huskies traveled to Tuscaloosa and beat No. 21 Alabama, 16–13. After beating Iowa State the following week, the Huskies were rolling and won their first 7 games. Following their week 5 win against Ohio, the first BCS standings were released, and by week 7 the Huskies had climbed to No. 10 overall. Novak and the Huskies could not keep that momentum going, as they lost in week 8 at No. 22 Bowling Green, which also featured the first ever ESPN GameDay appearance for a MAC football game. The Huskies lost one more game in 2003, to Toledo, finishing the year 10–2, unranked, and uninvited to a bowl game.

Novak's 2004 and 2006 teams both went to bowl games. The 2004 team went to the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, California and was the first Huskies team to go bowling in 21 years. The Huskies fell behind early, 14–0, to a Troy team that featured current NFLer DeMarcus Ware, but were able to rally behind future NFL running back Garrett Wolfe and the accurate passing of Josh Haldi to win, 34–21. In 2006, Wolfe and company returned to a bowl, the Poinsettia Bowl, against TCU and lost 37–7.

Novak's final year was a tough one, winning only 2 games and finishing at the bottom of the MAC West. Overall Novak won 63 games as the Huskies' head coach. He currently is retired and resides in North Carolina.

The Huskies finished the 2007 season having produced a 1,000-yard rusher in the previous nine consecutive seasons, starting in 1999, including rushers Thomas Hammock, Michael Turner, Garrett Wolfe and Justin Anderson.

Jerry Kill era (2008–2010)

Jerry Kill was hired to replace the retiring Joe Novak after the 2007 season. Kill was previously the head coach at Southern Illinois University, an FCS football program, making NIU his first FBS head coaching job. Kill led the Huskies to three straight bowl appearances in his three years as head coach, all three with quarterback Chandler Harnish. In 2010, Kill led the Huskies to the MAC Championship, but NIU fell to Miami (Ohio). On December 5, 2010, the day after NIU's loss in the MAC Championship, Kill tendered his immediate resignation and accepted the position of head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Coach Kill's resignation would leave harsh feelings in the Huskie locker room, as the players learned of his resignation through email. This left the Huskies without a coach, less than two weeks before they were to appear in the 2010 Humanitarian Bowl.

Despite Kill's departure, the Huskies won their bowl game, defeating Fresno State in the 2010 Humanitarian Bowl.

Back-to-back MAC championships

On December 13, 2010, Dave Doeren was named the new head coach. The Huskies went 11–3 in his first season and they won their first MAC Championship since 1983 in a 23–20 comeback win against Ohio, while also defeating the Arkansas State Red Wolves in a come-from-behind game in the 2012 GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Inclusive of the 2012 season, NIU has won 10 conference and three division titles, appeared in 13 Division I-A and College Division bowl games (winning five), has accumulated 535 wins, and has an all-time winning percentage of .533.[6]

2012 ended up being another memorable season in DeKalb, with the emergence of quarterback Jordan Lynch. Lynch was replacing Huskie QB Chandler Harnish, the decorated NIU starting QB for the previous three years. There was hope that Lynch would be a good quarterback, but no one could have predicted what Lynch ended up doing in the 2012 campaign. Lynch ended the season passing for 2962 yards, 24 touchdowns with five interceptions. He also ran for 1751 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. The 1751 rushing yards were the most ever by a quarterback in the FBS at the time, surpassing a record set in 2011 by Denard Robinson of the University of Michigan. Lynch's marquee game was on November 14 against Toledo, where Lynch threw for 407 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another 162 yards. Lynch lead the Huskies to an 11–1 record, a No. 21 ranking in the BCS poll and their third consecutive MAC West Divisional Championship. In the MAC Championship Game, NIU defeated No. 17 Kent State Golden Flashes 44–37 score in double overtime. Lynch scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime. The win eventually propelled the team to No. 15 in the BCS Standings, granting them their first-ever appearance in a BCS bowl game, the 2013 Orange Bowl against Florida State.[7]

The day after the MAC Championship game, Doeren was hired as the new head coach for North Carolina State University.[8] Rod Carey took over and coached the Huskies in the Orange Bowl, but NIU eventually lost 31–10 to the Seminoles.[9] The Orange Bowl was the first of Carey's four bowl losses: Orange Bowl (2013); Poinsettia Bowl (2014 & 2016); and the Boca Raton Bowl (2015).[10]

Following a bitter end to the 2012 campaign, NIU looked to build their momentum in 2013. In front of two sellout crowds, the Huskies increased their NCAA record home win streak to 26 games. Following the conclusion of the regular season, NIU was poised to bust the BCS yet again. They sat 12–0 after cruising through their schedule, and were sitting above an AQ conference champion in the BCS standings. Jordan Lynch became the first Huskie ever to be invited to the Heisman trophy ceremony in New York, finishing 3rd. Following their regular season, heartbreak happened for the Huskies. They lost both their conference championship, as well as their bowl game (Poinsettia Bowl) to finish the season 12–2, leaving Jordan Lynch with a career record of 24–4.[11]

Following the season, 3 Huskies had All-American honors. Jordan Lynch was a first team all purpose AP All American, Jimmie Ward was a first team Sports Illustrated (second team AP), and Tommie Lee Lewis was an honorable mention (AP).[12]

Conference affiliations

Northern Illinois has been a member of the following conferences.[13]^:182

• Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1922–1925)
• Independent (1926–1927)
• Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1928–1965)
• Independent (1966–1974)
• Mid-American Conference (1975–1985)
• Independent (1986–1992)
• Big West Conference (1993–1995)
• Independent (1996)
• Mid-American Conference (1997–present)

Championships

National championships

Northern Illinois was selected the 1963 NCAA College Division national champion by the Associated Press.,[14] while United Press International selected Delaware.[15]

Year	Division	Coach	Selectors	Record	Conf. Record
1963	NCAA College Division	Howard Fletcher	Associated Press	10–0	4–0

Conference championships

Conference championships won by Northern Illinois as of 2018.[13]^:182

Year	Conference	Coach	Record	Conf. Record
1938	Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Chick Evans	6–1–1	4–0
1944		Chick Evans	7–0	3–0
1951	Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Chick Evans	9–0	6–0
1963		Howard Fletcher	10–0	4–0
1964†		Howard Fletcher	7–2	3–1
1965		Howard Fletcher	9–1	4–0
1983	Mid-American Conference	Bill Mallory	10–2	8–1
2011		Dave Doeren	11–3	7–1
2012		Dave Doeren	12–1	8–0
2014		Rod Carey	11–3	7–1
2018		Rod Carey	8–6	6–2

† Co-champions

Division championships

Year	Division	Coach	Opponent	CG result
2001†	MAC West	Joe Novak	N/A lost tiebreaker to Toledo
2002†		Joe Novak	N/A lost tiebreaker to Toledo
2004†		Joe Novak	N/A lost tiebreaker to Toledo
2005		Joe Novak	Akron	L 30–31
2010		Jerry Kill	Miami	L 21–26
2011†		Dave Doeren	Ohio	W 23–20
2012		Dave Doeren	Kent State	W 44–37^2OT
2013		Rod Carey	Bowling Green	L 27–47
2014†		Rod Carey	Bowling Green	W 51–17
2015†		Rod Carey	Bowling Green	L 14–34
2018		Rod Carey	Buffalo	W 30–29

† Co-champions

Bowl games

Northern Illinois has played in 13 bowl games, having a record of 4–9.

Season	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1983	California Bowl	Cal State-Fullerton	W 20–13
2004	Silicon Valley Classic	Troy State	W 34–21
2006	Poinsettia Bowl	TCU	L 7–37
2008	Independence Bowl	Louisiana Tech	L 10–17
2009	International Bowl	South Florida	L 3–27
2010	Humanitarian Bowl	Fresno State	W 40–17
2011	GoDaddy.com Bowl	Arkansas State	W 38–20
2012	Orange Bowl	Florida State	L 10–31
2013	Poinsettia Bowl	Utah State	L 14–21
2014	Boca Raton Bowl	Marshall	L 23–52
2015	Poinsettia Bowl	Boise State	L 7–55
2017	Quick Lane Bowl	Duke	L 14–36
2018	Boca Raton Bowl	UAB	L 13–37

Other bowl games

In years prior to having classifications for college football, Northern Illinois participated in five bowl games that are now considered as "College Division". They played in five bowl games, having a record of 1–4.

Season	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1946	Turkey Bowl	Evansville	L 7–19
1947	Hoosier Bowl	Evansville	L 0–20
1962	Mineral Water Bowl	Adams State	L 20–23
1963	Mineral Water Bowl	Missouri State	W 21–14
1965	Mineral Water Bowl	North Dakota	L 20–37

Head coaches

Career records of NIU head coaches.[13]^:183[16]

Coach	Tenure	Games	Record	Pct.
John A. H. Keith	1899–1903	29	17–7–5	.672
Dixie Fleager	1904	5	5–0	1.000
Harry Sauthoff	1905	5	3–1–1	.700
Nelson A. Kellogg	1906–1909	28	8–17–3	.339
William Wirtz	1910–1916	59	33–17–9	.636
No team	1917–1919
Paul Harrison	1920–1922	26	11–14–1	.442
William Muir	1923–1925	23	11–9–3	.543
Roland Cowell	1926–1928	20	6–11–3	.375
Chick Evans	1929–1954	222	132–70–20	.640
Bob Kahler	1955	9	0–8–1	.056
Howard Fletcher	1956–1968	123	74–48–1	.606
Doc Urich	1969–1970	20	6–14	.300
Jerry Ippoliti	1971–1975	55	25–29–1	.464
Pat Culpepper	1976–1979	44	14–29–1	.330
Bill Mallory	1980–1983	44	25–19	.568
Lee Corso	1984	11	4–6–1	.409
Jerry Pettibone	1985–1990	66	33–32–1	.508
Charlie Sadler	1991–1995	55	18–37	.327
Joe Novak	1996–2007	139	63–76	.453
Jerry Kill	2008–2010	39	23–16	.590
Tom Matukewicz†	2010	1	1–0	1.000
Dave Doeren	2011–2012	27	23–4	.852
Rod Carey‡	2012–2018	81	52–29	.642
Thomas Hammock	2019–present	12	5–7	.417

† Interim head coach for 2010 Humanitarian Bowl

‡ Interim head coach for 2013 Orange Bowl

Rivalries

Ball State

Main article: Bronze Stalk Trophy

Northern Illinois holds a 24–20–2 series lead over Ball State through the 2018 season.[17]

Retired numbers

NIU has retired the jersey number of four former players.[13]^:150–151

No.	Name	Position	Years	Retired
6	Dave Petzke	SE	1977–1978
11	George Bork	QB	1960–1963	1983
12	Bob Heimerdinger	QB	1948–1951	1951
31	Mark Kellar	FB	1971–1973	1973

College Football Hall of Fame

There have been two former NIU players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[13]^:152

Name	Position	Years	Inducted	Ref.
George Bork	QB	1960–1963	1999	[18]
Tom Beck†	QB/HB	1959–1961	2004	[19]

† Inducted as a coach

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of October 23, 2019.[20]

2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026	2027
Rhode Island	Maine	Eastern Illinois	at Boston College	at Notre Dame	Maryland	Illinois State	at Nebraska
at Maryland	Wyoming	at Tulsa	Southern Illinois	UMass	at Iowa	at Wake Forest	South Florida
at Iowa	at Michigan	Vanderbilt	at Nebraska		at UMass
BYU	at Georgia Tech	at Kentucky	Tulsa

References

1. "NIU Athletic Marks Standards Guide" (PDF). July 12, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
2. "The Northern Illinois Official Athletic Site – Traditions". Niuhuskies.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
3. "Dogs and Canine Characters: 31 of 52". Mascots.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
4. "Huskie Band Home – NIU – Huskie Band". Niu.edu. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
5. "Huskies In Heaven".
6. "Rod Carey Coaching Record - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
7. McMurphy, Brett (February 12, 2012). "Sources: Northern Illinois to play in Orange Bowl". Retrieved February 12, 2012.
8. Mitchell, Fred (January 12, 2012). "Doeren to leave Northern Illinois for N.C. State". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
9. Seligman, Andrew (August 15, 2012). "Northern Illinois looks to put Orange Bowl in past, build on BCS".
10. "Orange Bowl - Northern Illinois vs Florida State Box Score, January 1, 2013 - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
11. "2014 Northern Illinois Huskies Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
12. "Three Huskies Earn All-America Honors – NIUHUSKIES.COM – The Northern Illinois Official Athletic Site". Niuhuskies.Com. December 17, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
13. "2017 NIU Media Guide" (PDF). niuhuskies.com. Northern Illinois Athletics. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
14. AP (November 29, 1963). "Jacks Sixth In Final AP College Poll". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Retrieved February 28, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
15. UPI (December 4, 1963). "UPI Coaches Board Names Delaware Poll Champion". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. Retrieved February 28, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
16. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/northern-illinois/coaches.html
17. http://www.winsipedia.com/northern-illinois/vs/ball-state
18. https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1932
19. https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=2134
20. "Northern Illinois Huskies Future Football Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved October 23, 2019.

Additional sources

• NCAA.org's 2006 Mid-American Team Report
• NIU Huskies Historical Data
• Northern Illinois Alumni Tracker

External links

• Official website