The Northern Illinois Huskies are the athletic teams that represent

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

(NIU). The Huskies are a member of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) Division I and the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great L ...

(MAC). The athletic program is made up of seven men's sports (baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, tennis, and wrestling) and 10 women's sports (basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, tennis, track, and volleyball). The football team competes in the

Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

(FBS). NIU began athletic competition in 1899 and were nicknamed the Profs. In the 1920s, they were referred to as the Cardinals. During the 1930s they were called Evansmen after George Evans. The Husky mascot and nickname used today were officially chosen in 1940.

Sports sponsored

A member of the West Division of the

(MAC), NIU sponsors teams in seven men's and ten women's

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

sanctioned sports. MAC logo in Northern Illinois colors

Baseball

NIU baseball started playing in 1900. The program was disbanded from 1983 through 1990. They currently play home games at the

Ralph McKinzie Field Ralph McKinzie Field is a baseball venue in DeKalb, Illinois, United States, on the campus of Northern Illinois University (NIU). It is home to the NIU Huskies baseball team of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I as a ...

in Dekalb, Illinois. They have appeared in the NCAA Tournament twice (1972, 1996). Championships * 1924 –

Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) was a college athletic conference that existed from 1908 to 1970 in the United States. At one time the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, or IIAC, was a robust league that clai ...

Champions * 1925 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1936 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1945 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1946 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1950 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1951 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1964 –

Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) was a college athletic conference that existed from 1908 to 1970 in the United States. At one time the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, or IIAC, was a robust league that clai ...

Champions * 1972 – Midwestern Conference Champions * 1996 – Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions (Tournament) * 2013 – Mid-American Conference West Division Champions

Men's basketball

NIU men's basketball started playing in 1900. They currently play home games at the NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb, Illinois. They have appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times ( 1982,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, 1996). Championships * 1932 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1933 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1934 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1935 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1941 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1945 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1972 – Midwestern Conference Champions * 1981 –

Champions * 1982 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1991 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1996 – Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions (Tournament) * 2006 – MAC West Division Champions

Football

NIU football started playing in 1899. They have won one National Championship, have won 12 football conference titles, and have appeared in 16 Division I-A and College Division Bowl Games. Championships * 1938 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1941 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Co-Champions *

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

– Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions * 1946 – Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions *

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

–

Champions *

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

–

NCAA College Division The NCAA College Division was a historic subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) consisting of member schools competing at a lower level of college sports. The NCAA initially divided schools into a College Division and a ...

National Champions *

–

Champions *

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

–

Co-Champions * 1965 –

Champions *

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

–

Champions (MAC) * 2001 – MAC West Division Co-Champions * 2002 – MAC West Division Co-Champions * 2004 – MAC West Division Co-Champions * 2005 – MAC West Division Champions * 2010 – MAC West Division Champions * 2011 – MAC West Division Champions * 2011 – Mid-American Conference Champions (MAC) *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

– MAC West Division Champions *

– Mid-American Conference Champions (MAC) *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

– MAC West Division Champions *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

– MAC West Division Champions *

– Mid-American Conference Champions (MAC) * 2015 – MAC West Division Champions *

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

– Mid-American Conference Champions (MAC) *

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

– Mid-American Conference Champions (MAC)

Men's golf

NIU men's golf team currently plays its home matches at Rich Harvest Farms in

Sugar Grove, Illinois Sugar Grove is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 8,997, and in 2018 the estimated population was 9,803. Geography Sugar Grove is located in southern Kane County at (41.772529, -88.442374). ...

where it hosted the 2017 NCAA Men's Golf Championship. The team won the 1985 and 1976 Mid-American Conference Golf titles and qualified for the 1976 NCAA Golf tournament. Championships * 1976 – Mid-American Conference Champions * 1985 – Mid-American Conference Champions * 1990 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1991 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1992 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1994 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions

Men's soccer

NIU men's soccer started playing in 1962. They currently play their home games at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex. They have appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times (

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

, 2006, 2011). With the MAC discontinuing its men's soccer league after the 2022 season, NIU will move that sport to the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

for 2023 and beyond. ;Championships * 1984 – Midwest Metropolitan Conference Champions *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

– Big Central Conference Champions (Tournament) *

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

– Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 2006 – Mid-American Conference Champions * 2006 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Tournament) * 2011 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Tournament) * 2021 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Tournament)

Men's tennis

NIU men's tennis team has had six players qualify for the NCAA tournament, one player twice and another player three times (1963, 1968, 1970–1973, 1987). They currently play their home matches at the NIU West Tennis Courts. Championships * 1991 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1992 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1993 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1994 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1996 – Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions * 1997 – Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions

Wrestling

NIU Wrestling started in 1931, and first started competing in the

Division I (NCAA) NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

in 1969. The team had 9 NCAA All-Americans & 96 wrestlers qualify for the NCAA tournament, with two winning the NCAA title. Three other Huskie Wrestlers won the NAIA championship (1958 (@123), 1961 (@167), 1961 (@177)) Ryan Ludwig (three-time NAIA All-American and a national finalist at 157 pounds) is currently in his 3rd season as head coach for the Huskies. Completed in the fall of 2008, the NIU Wrestling Training Complex features everything a student-athlete needs to reach the highest levels on and off the mat. Championships * 1985 – Mid-American Conference Champions

Softball

NIU women's softball started playing in 1959. They currently play their home games at Mary M. Bell Field. They have made two NCAA Regional appearances (1988, 1996) and one appearance in the

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...

(1988). Championships * 1988 –

North Star Conference The North Star Conference or NSC was a women's conference in the NCAA. The conference existed from the 1983–84 school year through the 1991–92 school year. Originally announced in 1983, the conference was formed by charter members Butler, Dayt ...

Champions * 1989 – North Star Conference Champions * 1990 – North Star Conference Champions * 1996 – Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions (Regular Season) * 1996 – Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1999 – Mid-American Conference Champions * 2000 – Mid-American Conference Champions

Women's basketball

NIU women's basketball started playing in 1957. They currently play home games at the NIU Convocation Center in Dekalb, Illinois. They have appeared in the NCAA Tournament five times (

, 1992,

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

). They have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) two times (1991,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

). Championships * 1972 – Midwest AIAW Region Champions * 1982 – Illinois AIAW State Champions * 1989 – North Star Conference Champions * 1990 – North Star Conference Champions * 1990 – North Star Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1992 – North Star Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1993 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1993 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1994 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1995 – Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions

Women's soccer

NIU women's soccer started playing in 1993. They currently play their home games at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex. Championships * 1997 – Mid-American Conference Champions * 1997 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1998 – Mid-American Conference Champions * 1998 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Tournament)

Women's volleyball

NIU women's volleyball started playing in 1970. They currently play home games at the NIU Convocation Center in Dekalb, Illinois. They have appeared in the NCAA Tournament seven times (

, 1996,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, 2001, 2011,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

). They appeared in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) three times (1991, 1992, 1994). Championships * 1988 – North Star Conference Champions (Regular Season) *

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

– North Star Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1990 – North Star Conference Champions (Regular Season) * 1991 – North Star Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1992 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions (Regular Season) * 1992 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1993 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions (Regular Season) * 1993 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1995 – Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions (Regular Season) * 1996 – Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions (Regular Season) * 1996 – Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1997 – MAC West Division Champions * 1997 – Mid-American Conference co-champions (Regular Season) * 1997 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Tournament) * 1998 – MAC West Division Champions * 1998 – Mid-American Conference co-champions (Regular Season) * 2001 – MAC West Division Champions * 2001 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Tournament) * 2006 – MAC West Division Champions * 2011 – MAC West Division Champions * 2011 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Regular Season) * 2014 – MAC West Division Champions * 2015 – MAC West Division Champions * 2015 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Regular Season) * 2016 – MAC West Division Champions * 2016 – Mid-American Conference co-champions (Regular Season) * 2016 – Mid-American Conference Champions (Tournament)

Women's tennis

NIU women's tennis team started playing in 1974. They currently play their home matches at the NIU West Tennis Courts. Championships * 1989 – North Star Conference Champions * 1990 – North Star Conference Champions * 1991 – North Star Conference Champions * 1993 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions * 1994 – Mid-Continent Conference Champions

Women's gymnastics

NIU women's gymnastics started competing in 1978. They currently compete at the NIU Convocation Center in Dekalb, Illinois. Championships * 1992 – Midwest Independent Conference Champions * 1993 – Midwest Independent Conference Champions * 2019 – Mid American Conference Champions (Tournament)

Women's golf

NIU women's golf team currently plays its home matches at Rich Harvest Farms in

where it hosted the 2017 NCAA Women's Golf Championship.

Women's track and field

NIU women's outdoor track and field team currently competes at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex. The women's indoor track and field team competes at NIU Convocation Center.

Women's cross country

NIU women's cross country team first competed for one year in 1981. The program was reinstated in 1995.

National championships

Team

Club sports

Hockey

NIU Hockey was founded in 1965. The Huskies play

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

in the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA) conference of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), ACHA Division 2 and ACHA Division 3. NIU was an ACHA D2 Regional Qualifier in 2013 and won three consecutive MACHA Bronze Division Championships, from the 2014-15 season through the 2016-17 season. Championships * 2015 – MACHA Bronze Division Champions * 2016 – MACHA Bronze Division Champions * 2017 – MACHA Bronze Division Champions

Rugby

NIU Rugby Football was founded in 1968 and plays

college rugby College rugby is played by men and women throughout colleges and universities in the United States of America. Seven-a-side and fifteen-a-side variants of rugby union are most commonly played. Most collegiate rugby programs do not fall under the ...

in the Mid-American Conference of Division 1-AA. The Huskies are led by Head Coach Kris Osterloh. The Huskies reached the 2013 D1-AA national playoffs, but lost to Lindenwood in the round of 16.

Cheerleading

NIU Cheerleading consist of two teams, All Girl and Large Coed. Both teams perform at football games, basketball games, and at the NCA College Nationals in Daytona Beach, Florida. In 2016, both teams made it to finals with the All-Girl team Finishing in 5th while the Large Coed team place 6th in the D1A Division. 2016 All Girl: 5th Large Coed: 6th 2015 Large Coed: 5th

NIU Athletics Hall of Fame

The NIU Athletics Hall of Fame first started in 1978. There has been an annual class induction since 1983. Women were inducted starting in 1986. There are currently 207 individuals and 17 teams enshrined in the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame.NIU Athletics Hall of Fame Roster
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References

External links

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle, Northern Illinois Huskies, color=white , list = {{Mid-American Conference navbox {{Chicago sports {{Illinois Sports