When John A. Keith called a meeting of the 25 young men enrolled at Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1899, it is hard to say if even Keith could have foreseen what that one meeting would eventually grow into. As was stated in the 1900 Norther, Keith brought them together “for the purpose of exercising and (to) incidentally learn a few things about foot-ball,” but it became so much more.
The formation of that squad spawned a program that now consists of more than 400 current student-athletes and 16 sports programs. The Northern Illinois University Athletics Department has grown into more than just a way for students to stay physically fit. It has helped bring national attention to the University and bring the campus community together.
When you dig into the archives and page through yearbooks, you see a rich history of accomplishments by NIU student-athletes too numerous to list. National championships, NCAA appearances, a BCS berth, a Heisman Trophy finalist, and national awards, just to name a few.
You also find men and women who gave their hearts and souls as coaches and administrators to the Athletics Department so that student-athletes had an enriching collegiate experience. Men like Dr. Robert Brigham and women like Mary M. Bell coached multiple sports at the same time before serving as administrators and caretakers of what they helped build.
Sport programs have come and gone. As the times changed, NIU’s Athletics Department had to change with it. While doors may have closed for some student-athletes, opportunities were opened to others. In addition to adjusting its sport lineup to better serve the campus community, the Athletics Department had to adjust to serve its student-athletes.
The football team moved from its modest surroundings of Glidden Field, a plot of land donated by a prominent farmer in the area—Joseph Glidden—to its current home at Huskie Stadium, in 1965. When the Northern Field House, now known as Chick Evans Field House, opened in 1957, who could’ve imagined that one day Huskie teams would be competing in a venue like the Convocation Center?
Throughout its history, NIU Athletics has served as an integral component of campus life and the history of the University. It has been a source of pride for alumni who saw the men’s basketball team defeat No. 5 Indiana in 1972 at Chick Evans Field House or the football team beat, not one, but two ranked opponents in 2003.
It is amazing to see how the NIU Athletics Department has evolved over time. As the University moves forward, NIU Athletics and its student-athletes will continue to reach new heights and represent the Cardinal and Black nationally, while making an impact locally.
“It is often said that a Normal school cannot get up and support a foot-ball team, but we feel safe in predicting that so long as foot-ball is conducted in a businesslike way that it was during the first year of our school, it will continue to the principal game of the N.I.S.N.S.”
– 1900 Norther
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