From the moment the Northern Illinois State Normal School (N.I.S.N.S.) opened its doors as a teachers’ school in 1899, athletics has been a part of the history of Northern Illinois University. In 2024-25, NIU Athletics is celebrating its history, its tradition and the 125th anniversary of Huskie sports across each of its 17 programs.
The first recorded intercollegiate competitions played by N.I.S.N.S. students were in the sports of football and baseball in that inaugural year. By the next year, both men’s and women’s basketball and men’s track and field were facing outside competition.
The “Girls’ Athletic Association,” meanwhile, numbered 112 women, as the history of women’s athletics in DeKalb matched that of any in the nation.
From those beginnings, NIU Athletics has seen milestone victories and incredible achievements on both the team and individual levels, and has thrilled hundreds of thousands of fans and alumni across the country.
For many alumni, memories of NIU include some of those Huskie milestone moments like:
- Watching George Bork, ’64, in action at “Glidden Field” en route to becoming the first 3,000-yard passer in college football history while leading NIU to a 10-0 record, a win in the Mineral Water Bowl and the 1963 College Division national title. In 1999, Bork became the first—and remains the only—Huskie player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
- Filling Chick Evans Field House to cheer on the Huskie women’s basketball teams of the early 1990s during their run to five NCAA Tournament appearances in a six-year span, behind players like Carol Owens, ’90, Tammy Hinchee, ’92, Lisa Foss, ’91, Angela Lockett, ’95, and E.C. Hill, ’95, to name just a few.
- Joining 1,300 fellow students, boarding one of 26 buses and making the 24-hour bus trip to Miami, Florida, to cheer on the “BCS Busting” Huskies, led by All-American quarterback Jordan Lynch, ’13, in the 2013 Orange Bowl.
- Seeing the NIU softball team make history with its run to the 1988 NCAA Softball World Series, behind a lineup that featured three-time first-team All-American Jill Justin, ’89.
From the familiar names to the teams, championships, and unforgettable moments, it has become clear over the past 125 years that NIU Athletics is inextricably woven into the fabric of Northern Illinois University.
“NIU has a proud tradition of intercollegiate athletics dating back to 1899 and we’re excited to celebrate this milestone anniversary with our fans and alumni throughout this year,”
said Sean T. Frazier, NIU vice president and director of athletics and recreation.
In honor of the 125th anniversary, a unique logo honoring NIU’s history, its home city and region, and its tradition will appear on NIU uniforms, on home courts and fields, and on merchandise this year. Special 125th anniversary celebrations are set to take place during the NIU Basketball doubleheader on Saturday, January 25th, and at the Beauty and the Beast meet featuring the Huskie wrestling and gymnastics teams on February 7th this winter.
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