Huskie Nation

 

There may be some things you don’t know about me. What you probably do know by now is that I am a proud and passionate Huskie.  I am a fan of a school that some people have never heard of, but it’s my school. The unexpected transformation to loyal Huskie needed just a few minutes in 2003. This is how it went down.

 

Just so you know

We simply say Northern. Officially, it’s Northern Illinois University. NIU for short. Years ago, they said NI.  

DeKalb is where Northern is located. Big D, Big K. All of the letters are pronounced.

It’s Huskie, not Husky. Of all the schools with the canine mascot, we may be the only singular spelling of Huskie.

 http://www.niuhuskies.com/trads/niu-trads.html

Northern sucks

The weekend before Labor Day, 2003. My dad was with some of his friends at the tavern they hung out at back in the day. I was in town that weekend, and stopped in just as a pool for the Top 25 was being passed around the bar. Maryland was ranked, and was opening the season at Huskie Stadium. A chorus of “Northern sucks” circled the room when the game in DeKalb was mentioned. Something deep inside of me suddenly snapped. Without saying anything, I knew that each of these guys had a connection to Northern. Everyone in Chicagoland has family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers who went to Northern.  Everyone. That moment changed me, and my life has since become much more meaningful.  Within a few short minutes, my loyalty suddenly began. Each of those guys lost money on that game. The Huskies went on to finish the 2003 season with 10 wins and only two losses. The two losses were to division opponents, and prevented a bowl game appearance when the MAC had only two guaranteed bowl games. Maybe we’ll talk about that some other time.

espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=232402459

 

How did this happen?

On the weekend of my graduation, Bill Mallory took the team to the California Bowl. After winning the MAC and California Bowl in 1983, a few bad coaching decisions and doomed conference affiliations distanced me from Northern. A move to Minnesota further removed me from DeKalb. By the time Coach Novak took over a failing football program in late 1995, I had only minimally kept abreast of the team and school. I had always donated to the school, but barely followed the football program.  Coach Novak  started winning games in 2000, and by 2002 I began to pay attention. We had a program we could be proud of, because of Joe Novak. That August Saturday in 2003 lead me to where I am today. There are days I wonder what my life would be like if I did not become involved.  The friends, the trips, and the games might never have happened for me.

www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/joe_novak_242655.html

 

Game day

It’s not just the game. It’s agonized over the tailgate menu. It’s hanging out with Diesel, our mascot. It’s planning trips to towns you probably would never visit.  We have been to Shreveport, Annapolis, Boise, and San Jose. Our trips have taken us on board the USS Midway, to the Crypt of John Paul Jones, and through the Palouse. It’s meeting the football parents, and keeping in touch with former parents. It’s friendships with alums who would otherwise never cross paths. My Huskie friends include teachers, police officers, entrepreneurs, guitar collectors, and pinball enthusiasts. We range in age from 30s to 60s. It’s watching players develop, and following the recruiting process.  It’s bringing friends to DeKalb and Huskie Stadium.  It’s watching the children of tailgate friends grow up. It’s learning Northern history.  It’s following former players after they leave DeKalb. We’re watching you, Chandler Harnish.

 

What it means

Being a Huskie means having to explain our loyalty to people who didn’t go to the school they are currently fans of.  We educate about the MAC to guys who think they are sports fans. We don’t have the drama of a prima donna mentality. If a kid gets into trouble, he is off the team. For a modest donation, we can park in the shadow of Huskie Stadium, and know our contributions are appreciated. Instead of mindlessly flipping to an SEC or Big 12 game, maybe you should tune in a MAC game.  Join us.