The Huskies compete in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a member of the West Division, where they have won six championships in 1983, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2021. They have played in twelve post-season bowl games since 2004, most notably the 2013 Orange Bowl.
History
Early history
Nothern Illinois first football team of 1899
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 to 1992, 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.[7] 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[who?] 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,[citation needed] 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 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[when?] 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.
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 had won 10 conference and three division titles, appeared in 13 Division I-A and College Division bowl games (winning five), had accumulated 535 wins, and has an all-time winning percentage of .533.[8]
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.[9]
The day after the MAC Championship game, Doeren was hired as the new head coach for North Carolina State University.[10]Rod Carey took over and coached the Huskies in the Orange Bowl, but NIU eventually lost 31–10 to the Seminoles.[11] The Orange Bowl was the first of Carey's six bowl losses: Orange Bowl (2013), Poinsettia Bowl (2013 & 2015), the Boca Raton Bowl (2014 & 2018), and the Quick Lane Bowl (2017).[12][13]
On September 28, 2024 Doeren played against NIU for the first time in his career. Unfortunately NC State won the tight matchup, with a 17-24 win.
Rod Carey era (2013–2018)
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, #14 in the BCS Standings, and were sitting above an AQ conference champion. 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.[14]
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 Tommylee Lewis was an honorable mention (AP).[15]
In 2014, the Huskies had another strong season despite the departure of Heisman finalist Jordan Lynch and NFL draft picks Jimmie Ward and Ken Bishop.[16] NIU beat Big Ten program Northwestern in September and defeated Bowling Green 51-17 in the MAC Championship Game to win their 3rd MAC title in four seasons. They lost the Boca Raton Bowl to Conference USA Champion Marshall 52-23. The Huskies finished 11-3, their 5th consecutive season where they won at least 11 games and received votes in the AP Top 25 poll during the season.[17]
In their 3rd game of 2015, the Huskies narrowly lost to defending National Champion and #1 ranked Ohio State 20-13 as 34.5 point underdogs, in a game that the Huskies didn't trail until halfway through the 3rd quarter.[18] NIU rattled off six consecutive wins to start MAC play, including a road win against #20 ranked Toledo, and won the MAC West division title for the 6th consecutive season. NIU ended the season with losses to Bowling Green in the MAC title game (34-14) and Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl (55-7) where NIU was outgained 654 to 33 yards.[19][20] Cornerback Shuwan Lurry was selected as a 1st team All-American by several outlets, after finishing the season with an FBS leading nine interceptions.[21]
The following season the Huskies went 5-7, attaining only their 2nd losing season since 2000.[22] In the offseason, Wide Receiver Kenny Golladay was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 3rd round of the NFL draft after back-to-back 1000 yard receiving seasons for NIU.[23]
On September 16, 2017 the Huskies defeated Nebraska 21-17, giving them a 6-4 record in their last 10 games against Big Ten opponents, 4-1 in their last 5.[24] NIU finished 2017 with an 8-6 record after losing to Duke 36-14 in the Quick Lane Bowl.[25] Defensive lineman Sutton Smith set a Huskie record for sacks (14), and led the nation in tackles for loss (29.5) and quarterback pressures (87).[26] He was named a consensus All-American at the end of the season.
In 2018, NIU clinched its first MAC West division title since 2015. The Huskies defeated Buffalo 30-29 in the MAC Championship game after trailing by 19 points in the 3rd quarter. This was NIU's 4th MAC title since 2011.[27] NIU was defeated by UAB 37-13 in the Boca Raton Bowl, giving NIU their 6th consecutive bowl game loss and 5th bowl game under Rod Carey where they were defeated by at least 21 points.[28] Sutton Smith had another strong season, once again leading the nation in tackles for loss (27) and finishing third in sacks (15). He was named a 1st team All-American for the 2nd straight year by several outlets.[29][30]
On January 11, 2019, it was announced that Rod Carey had accepted the head coaching position at Temple University after six seasons as NIU's head football coach.[31]
In their search for a new football coach, NIU's potential candidates included Baltimore Ravens RB coach Thomas Hammock (former NIU RB), former Maryland OC Matt Canada (former NIU OC), SMU DC Kevin Kane (former NIU DC), and Wisconsin OC Joe Rudolph.[32]
Thomas Hammock era (2019–present)
On January 18, 2019, NIU announced the hiring of Thomas Hammock as the new head football coach. Hammock was a running back for the Huskies from 1999-2002 and was most recently the running backs coach for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens from 2014-2018. At his first press conference as NIU's head coach, Hammock stated that coaching at NIU "had always been [his] dream."[33]
In Hammock's first year at the helm, the Huskies finished 5-7 including a 4-4 record in MAC play.[22]
In a pandemic shortened 2020 season, NIU finished 0-6 with one of the youngest teams in the nation. This marked their first winless season since 1999.[22][34]
Expectations were low for the 2021 season following a disappointing 2020. Michigan State QB Rocky Lombardi announced that he would be transferring to NIU in December 2020, and he was named the starting QB to enter the season.[35] NIU opened the year as an 18 point underdog to Georgia Tech, but defeated the Yellow Jackets 22-21.[36] This marked their 12th victory over a Power 5 program since 2000 and 8th since 2009. The Huskies claimed their 5th MAC title since 2011 with a 41-23 victory over Kent State.[37] After their win in the MAC championship, NIU was selected to play in the Cure Bowl against Coastal Carolina, a game they lost 47-41.
During the 2024-2025 season, Hammock's sixth year, NIU beat the University of Notre Dame during the Fighting Irish's home opener in South Bend, 16-14, with two interceptions and two blocked kicks. Notre Dame was ranked #5 at the time, making it the biggest upset in the history of Huskie football, the school's only top-10 win to date (all-time 1-14 against top 10), and the first ever top-5 win by the Mid-American Conference.[38][39]
Conference affiliations
Northern Illinois has been a member of the following conferences.[40]:182[bettersourceneeded]
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.
Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium is a college football stadium located on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. Opened 59 years ago in 1965, it is the home field of the NIU Huskies of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
The Northern Illinois Huskies are the athletic teams that represent Northern Illinois University (NIU). The Huskies are a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The athletic program is made up of seven men's sports and 10 women's sports. The football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
The 2010 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies compiled an overall record of 11–3 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the MAC's West Division title. The team advanced to the MAC Championship, where they lost the Miami RedHawks. Northern Illinois was invited to the Humanitarian Bowl, where they defeated Fresno State. The Huskies were led by third-year head coach Jerry Kill during the regular season and for the MAC title game before KIll resigned to become the head football coach at the University of Minnesota. Tom Matukewicz was appointed interim head coach for the bowl game. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 2010 Humanitarian Bowl was the fourteenth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho, on the campus of Boise State University. The game started at 3:30 pm MST on Saturday, December 18, 2010 and was telecast on ESPN. The game featured the Fresno State Bulldogs from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) versus the Northern Illinois Huskies from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Despite the resignation of Jerry Kill, the Huskies' third-year coach, Northern Illinois defeated Fresno State 40–17.
Thomas Hammock is the head football coach at Northern Illinois University (NIU). Prior to returning to his alma mater in January 2019, he served as the running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons from 2014 to 2018.
The 2012 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Northern Illinois compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the MAC West Division title. The Huskies advanced to the MAC Championship Game, where they beat Kent State to win the program's third MAC championship. Northern Illinois was invited to the Orange Bowl, where they lost to Florida State. Second-year head coach Dave Doeren led the team during the regular season and the MAC title game before resigning to become the head football coach at North Carolina State University. Rod Carey was appointed interim head coach for the bowl game. The team's 12 wins was the most in any of the program's 113-year history.
The 2005 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by tenth-year head coach Joe Novak, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, sharing the MAC's West Division title with Toledo. By virtue of their head-to-head win over Toledo, Northern Illinois advanced to the MAC Championship Game, where they lost to Akron. Despite reaching bowl eligibility, the Huskies were not invited to a bowl game. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 2004 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Joe Novak, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 9–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the MAC's West Division title with Toledo. By virtue of their head-to-head win Northern Illinois, Toledo Rockets advanced to the MAC Championship Game. Northern Illinois was invited to the Silicon Valley Football Classic, where they beat Troy. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 2003 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Joe Novak, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing second in the MAC's West Division. Despite reaching bowl eligibility, the Northern Illinois was not invited to a bowl game. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 2002 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Joe Novak, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 8–4 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the MAC's West Division title with Toledo. By virtue of their head-to-head win over Northern Illinois, the Toledo Rockets advanced to the MAC Championship Game. Despite reaching bowl eligibility, the Huskies were not invited to a bowl game. Northern Illinois played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
Jordan Lynch is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Northern Illinois Huskies, earning first-team All-American honors as an all-purpose player and finishing as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2013. After going undrafted in the 2014 NFL draft, Lynch had a stint with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) before playing with Edmonton in the CFL.
The 2012 Marathon MAC Championship Game was an American football game held on November 30, 2012, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan between the West Division champion Northern Illinois Huskies and the East Division champion Kent State Golden Flashes to determine the Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion. This is the first time since 2003 that both teams entered the game ranked in the BCS standings, AP Poll, and Coaches' Poll.
The 2013 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) member during the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Rod Carey, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a mark of 8–0 In conference play, they won the MAC West Division title, and advanced to the MAC Championship Game, where they lost to East Division champion Bowling Green. Northern Illinois was invited to the Poinsettia Bowl, where they lost to Utah State. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 1983 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Bill Mallory in his fourth and final season as head coach, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 8–1 in conference play, winning he MAC title. Northern Illinois was invited to the California Bowl, where they beat played Cal State Fullerton. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 2016 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Rod Carey, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 5–7 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing third in the MAC's West Division. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 2017 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Rod Carey, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 8–5 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the MAC's West Division. Northern Illinois received an invitation to the Quick Lane Bowl, their 11th bowl game in the 14 seasons. There they lost to Duke, 36–14. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 2021 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by third-year head coach Thomas Hammock, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 9–5 with a mark of 6–2 in conference playing, sharing the MAC's West Division title with Central Michigan. By virtue of a head-to-head win over Central Michigan, Northern Illinois advanced to the MAC Championship Game and defeated Kent State to win the program's six MAC championship. The Huskies invited to the Cure Bowl, where they lost to Coastal Carolina on December 17. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 2021 Cure Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 17, 2021, at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The seventh edition of the Cure Bowl, the game featured the Northern Illinois Huskies of the Mid-American Conference and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers of the Sun Belt Conference. The game began at 6:00 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN2. It was one of the 2021–22 bowl games concluding the 2021 FBS football season. Sponsored by digital marketplace Tailgreeter, the game was officially known as the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl.
The 2022 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies were led by fourth-year head coach Thomas Hammock and played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 2023 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies are led by fifth-year head coach Thomas Hammock and played their home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois. They finished the regular season 6–6 and 5–3 in conference play They played Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl, who they beat 21–19. The Northern Illinois Huskies football team drew an average home attendance of 9,456 in 2023.
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