The Northern Illinois Huskies football team represent the Northern Illinois University in the Mid-American Conference of the NCAA's Division I-Bowl Subdivision. NIU's football program was established in the late 1800's, playing its first ever game against DeKalb HS 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 Huskies' stint with the IIAC was short-lived, lasting only five seasons as the team became independent again in 1925. NIU returned in the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1928 and finished the season winless for the first time. In 1929 however, Red 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 '47 (unfortunately, both on a losing cause to Evansville first in the Turkey Bowl then in the Hoosier Bowl). NIU then left for the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1950 but, with the exception of the spotless season (9-0-0) in 1951 that earned the team a 5th conference title, failed to make a decent showing in its first few years with its new home. 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 1950's. 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 Mineral Water Bowl which the team eventually won over Missouri State. The team made it a three-peat championship, adding up the 1964 and '64 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 had no permanent affiliation after leaving the MAC in 1986; first became independent from 1987-92, then joined the Big West Conference from 1993 through '95, became independent again in '96, then finally was admitted back into the Mid-American Athletic Conference in 1997.
NIU as of 2006, has won 9 conference and 1 division titles, appeared in eight Division I-A and College Division Bowl Games (winning three), and has accumulated over 400 wins and an all time winning mark that is above .500.
Huskies in '04. The Northern Illinois Huskies, led by Coach Joe Novak, finished the 2004 season with a 9-win, 3-loss record, capped by an impressive 34-21 victory over Troy in the Silicon Valley Classic for the team's third overall Bowl Game win.
