Northern Illinois Huskies
Mountain WestDeKalb, ILHuskie Stadium
2026: 0–6 (0–2 Mountain West). Last: lost at Wyoming 41–23. Next: Hawai’i, Saturday, Oct 24, 3:30 p.m. ET.
- L 0–40at No. 22 Iowa
- L 24–28Illinois State
- L 17–42at Arizona
- L 14–35at Georgia State
- L 7–28Air Force
- L 23–41at Wyoming
- Oct 24Hawai’i
- Oct 31at UNLV
- Nov 7at San José State
- Nov 14Nevada
- Nov 21at North Dakota State
- Nov 28UTEP
- Outfitted by Adidas
- Live mascot: Mission
Northern Illinois has played football since 1899 and is officially 622–541–51; 686 of its 1,214 games are in our file. Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 22, in 2012. They have won six Mid-American Conference titles (the last in 2021), plus four Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles, two Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles, counting shared titles. Since 1969, the NFL Draft has taken 25 players from here in its first seven rounds, 2 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 2 players from Northern Illinois. Joe Novak (1996–2007) won more games here than any other coach: 63. The most-played rival is Toledo: 53 meetings, Toledo leads 36–17. This season, under Rob Harley, they’re 0–6.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 622–541–51 official; 324–358–4 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 6–10 matches the official bowl record
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 24 ranked
- Elo now
- 1312 134th of 138 FBS
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 133 · Composite No. 134 in FBS, Oct 17; down 1 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 12 last in 2021
- Seasons
- 61 since 1966, 686 games
Identity
- Fight song
- Huskie Fight Song
- Mascot
- Victor E. Huskie
- Live mascot
- Mission (Siberian Husky)
- Apparel
- Adidas
2026 season 0–6
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | at 22Iowa | L 0–40 | 17% |
| Sep 12 | vs Illinois State | L 24–28 | 46% |
| Sep 19 | at Arizona | L 17–42 | 20% |
| Sep 26 | at Georgia State | L 14–35 | 40% |
| Oct 10 | vs Air Force | L 7–28 | 38% |
| Oct 17 | at Wyoming | L 23–41 | 31% |
| Oct 24 | vs Hawai’i | Preview | 46% |
| Oct 31 | at UNLV | Preview | 14% |
| Nov 7 | at San José State | Preview | 27% |
| Nov 14 | vs Nevada | Preview | 44% |
| Nov 21 | at North Dakota State | Preview | 12% |
| Nov 28 | vs UTEP | Preview | 64% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Future schedule
2027–32- 20274 games: 2 home, 2 away, non-conference only
- 20284 games: 1 home, 3 away, non-conference only
- 20293 games: 1 home, 2 away, non-conference only
- 20303 games: 3 home, non-conference only
- 20311 game: 1 away, non-conference only
- 20321 game: 1 away, non-conference only
- at Missouri
Northern Illinois’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of August 19, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
On the 2026 team
- Taron Dickens1,193 passing yards, 4 TD (leads Northern Illinois in passing yards)
- Telly Johnson Jr.439 rushing yards, 4 TD (leads Northern Illinois in rushing yards)
- DeAree Rogers49 catches, 422 yards, 2 TD (leads Northern Illinois in receiving yards)
- Kyon Conyers42 tackles, 1 INT
- Jack Murray43 tackles, 1 sack (leads Northern Illinois in tackles)
- Brady Kerperin41 tackles, 1 sack
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Northern Illinois.
Jordan LynchHall of Fame, 2026- George BorkHall of Fame, 1999
- LeShon JohnsonConsensus All-American, 1993
Sutton SmithConsensus All-American, 2017
Jimmie WardNo. 30 pick, 2014
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
Around the program
- Apparel
- Adidas · Official source
- NIU Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Northern Illinois University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Mascot
- Victor E. Huskie · Official source
- NIU Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Northern Illinois University; read 2026-10-10
- Wikipedia; read 2026-10-10
- Wikipedia; read 2026-10-10
- Live mascot
- Mission (Siberian Husky) · Single source
- Wikipedia; read 2026-10-10
- Defensive coordinator
- Rob Harley · Single source
- Wikipedia; read 2026-10-10
Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.
The apparel deal
Adidas. Multi-year renewal with a three-year option. A 2019 renewal ran through June 2026, with a three-year option through 2029. Whether the option was used hasn't been confirmed here.
- NIU Athletics, Dec 13, 2019: Renewal through June 2026 with a three-year optional renewal through 2029
Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.
Program strength since 1966
Best seasons everMore coverage
- Tyler Hughes totals 379 yards on offense and Wyoming dumps Northern Illinois 41-23, winnipegfreepress.com,
- Cowboys Return Home to Face Northern Illinois, sweetwaternow.com,
- Details from Air Force's victory at Northern Illinois, gazette.com,
- Air Force does not complete a pass, beats Northern Illinois in the Huskies' first Mountain West game, durangoherald.com,
Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.
Podcasts
- Episode 8 - Doug Colletti Interview, Northern Illinois Football Alumni Network, , 30 min
- Episode 7 - Cole Tucker Interview, Northern Illinois Football Alumni Network, , 38 min
Found through Podcast Index, the open podcast directory. Each link opens the episode’s page.
Head coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Rob Harley | 2026 | 0–6 |
 Thomas Hammock | 2019–2025 | 35–47 |
 Rod Carey | 2012–2018 | 52–30 |
 Dave Doeren | 2011–2012 | 23–4 |
| Tom Matukewicz | 2010 | 1–0 |
 Jerry Kill | 2008–2010 | 23–16 |
| Joe Novak | 1996–2007 | 63–76 |
| Charlie Sadler | 1991–1995 | 18–37 |
| Jerry Pettibone | 1985–1990 | 33–32–1 |
 Lee Corso | 1984 | 4–6–1 |
 Bill Mallory | 1980–1983 | 25–19 |
 Pat Culpepper | 1976–1979 | 14–29–1 |
| Jerry Ippoliti | 1971–1975 | 25–29–1 |
| Doc Urich | 1969–1970 | 6–14 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- Toledo
17–36 in 53
- 2016 L 24–31
- 2017 L 17–27
- 2018 W 38–15
- 2019 W 31–28
- 2020 L 24–41
- 2021 W 22–20
- 2022 L 32–52
- 2023 L 33–35
- 2024 L 6–13
- 2025 L 3–42
Lost the last four.
- Western Michigan
23–27 in 50
- 2016 L 30–45
- 2017 W 35–31
- 2018 L 21–28
- 2019 W 17–14
- 2020 L 27–30
- 2021 L 21–42
- 2022 W 24–21
- 2023 W 24–0
- 2024 W 42–28
- 2025 L 19–35
Lost the last one.
- Ball State
24–24–1 in 49
- 2016 W 31–24
- 2017 W 63–17
- 2018 W 24–16
- 2019 L 20–27
- 2020 L 25–31
- 2021 W 30–29
- 2022 L 38–44
- 2023 L 17–20
- 2024 L 23–25
- 2025 W 21–7
Won the last one; holds the Bronze Stalk Trophy.
| Opponent | Games | NIU record |
|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 53 | 17–36 |
| Western Michigan | 50 | 23–27 |
| Ball State | 49 | 24–24–1 |
| Central Michigan | 39 | 18–21 |
| Eastern Michigan | 38 | 28–8–2 |
| Kent State | 30 | 23–7 |
| Ohio | 26 | 14–12 |
| Bowling Green | 24 | 12–12 |
The trophy it holds: Bronze Stalk Trophy (Ball State, since 2025). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.
Every opponent (114)
Every program Northern Illinois has played, A to Z, with Northern Illinois’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Air Force 0–1
- Akron 12–6
- Alabama 1–0
- Arizona 0–1
- Arkansas 0–2
- Arkansas State 8–1
- Army 2–1
- Auburn 0–1
- Ball State 24–24–1
- Boise State 0–1
- Boston College 1–3
- Bowling Green 12–12
- Buffalo 13–3
- BYU 1–0
- Cal Poly 1–0
- Cal State Fullerton 2–1
- Central Michigan 18–21
- Cincinnati 1–1
- Coastal Carolina 0–1
- Dayton 0–2
- Duke 0–1
- East Carolina 0–1
- East Tennessee State 1–0
- Eastern Illinois 5–1
- Eastern Michigan 28–8–2
- Florida 0–2
- Florida State 0–2
- Fresno State 4–2
- Georgia State 0–1
- Georgia Tech 1–0
- Holy Cross 1–0
- Idaho 4–3
- Illinois 0–4
- Illinois State 10–5
- Indiana 0–1
- Indiana State 3–4
- Iowa 1–10
- Iowa State 1–3
- Kansas 2–1
- Kansas State 2–4
- Kent State 23–7
- Kentucky 0–1
- Lamar 0–1
- Liberty 1–0
- Long Beach State 4–5
- Louisiana 3–6
- Louisiana Tech 1–6
- Louisville 0–3
- Maine 1–0
- Marshall 4–4
- Maryland 1–3
- Massachusetts 4–0
- McNeese 0–1
- Miami 0–1
- Miami (OH) 9–13
- Michigan 0–2
- Middle Tennessee 1–1
- Minnesota 1–2
- Mississippi State 0–1
- Missouri State 2–0
- Montana 0–1
- Murray State 2–0
- Navy 0–2
- NC State 0–2
- Nebraska 1–4
- Nevada 1–1
- New Mexico State 1–2
- North Dakota 1–0
- North Dakota State 0–2
- North Texas 0–1
- Northern Arizona 0–1
- Northwestern 1–6–1
- Notre Dame 1–0
- Ohio 14–12
- Ohio State 0–2
- Oklahoma State 0–1
- Ole Miss 0–1
- Oregon State 0–1
- Pacific 1–1
- Penn State 0–1
- Presbyterian 1–0
- Purdue 2–0
- Sam Houston 1–0
- San Diego State 0–6
- San José State 1–0
- South Florida 1–3
- Southern Illinois 10–4
- Southern Miss 1–1
- TCU 0–1
- Temple 3–1
- Tennessee 0–1
- Tennessee Tech 2–0
- Toledo 17–36
- Troy 1–0
- Tulsa 0–2
- UAB 0–1
- UCF 2–1
- UL Monroe 0–1
- UNLV 5–0
- UT Martin 1–0
- Utah 0–2
- Utah State 0–2
- UTEP 0–1
- Vanderbilt 0–5
- Wake Forest 1–1
- West Texas 4–3
- West Virginia 0–1
- Western Illinois 6–6
- Western Kentucky 0–1
- Western Michigan 23–27
- Wichita State 1–1
- Wisconsin 1–12
- Wyoming 0–3
- Xavier 3–2
Conference titles
12, counting shared titles- Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 4
- 1951, 1963, 1964 (shared), 1965
- Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 2
- 1938, 1944
As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1899–1921
- Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1922–1925
- Independent 1926–1927
- Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1928–1965
- Independent 1966–1974
- Mid-American Conference 1975–1985
- Independent 1986–1992
- Big West 1993–1995
- Independent 1996
- Mid-American Conference 1997–2025
- Mountain West Conference since 2026
- 1986Went independent from the Mid-American Conference in football. Source
- 1993Joined the Big West from independence in football. Source
- 1996Went independent from the Big West in football. Source
- 1997Joined the Mid-American Conference from the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. Source
- 2026Joined the Mountain West Conference from the Mid-American Conference in football, announced January 7, 2025. Source
Northern Illinois’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Consensus All-Americans 2
| 2017 | Sutton Smith DL |
| 1993 | LeShon Johnson RB |
Led the nation 8
| 2010 | Chad Spann rushing touchdowns (22 TD) |
| 2006 | Garrett Wolfe rushing yards (1,928 yds) |
| 2004 | Dan Sheldon yards per catch (23.4) |
| 2002 | Dan Sheldon punt return average (22.7) |
| 1993 | LeShon Johnson rushing yards (1,976 yds) |
| 1990 | Stacey Robinson rushing touchdowns (19 TD), points (120 pts), points per game (10.9) |
| 1979 | Dave Petzke receptions (91 catches), receiving yards (1,215 yds) |
| 1973 | Mark Kellar rushing yards (1,719 yds) |
The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.
Heisman runners-up and finalists
The votes| 2013 | Jordan Lynch QB | 3rd |
Second to fifth in the vote, from each season’s Wikipedia article.
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 2
- Coaches
- 0
| 2026 | Jordan Lynch QB/APB |
| 1999 | George Bork QB |
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 25 since 1969
- First-round picks
- 2
| 2014 | Jimmie Ward S | No. 30, San Francisco 49ers |
| 2009 | Larry English DE | No. 16, San Diego Chargers |
Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.
The school
Northern Illinois University- Enrollment
- 15,414 11,348 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Dekalb, Illinois
- Public or private
- Public Research 2
- Founded
- 1895
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $57,808 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Official accounts
- Football
- X @NIU_FootballInstagram @niufootballFacebook NIUFootball
Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones niuhuskies.com lists for its football program, as of Oct 12, 2026.
Books
Books: Open Library (CC0), filed under the program’s Library of Congress subject heading; most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0–6 | 0–2 | Rob Harley | 1312 | -23.5 | ||
| 2025 | 3–9 | 2–6 | Thomas Hammock | 1368 | -16.7 | ||
| 2024 | 8–5 | 4–4 | Thomas Hammock | 1533 | -3.5 | ||
| 2023 | 7–6 | 5–3 | Thomas Hammock | 1467 | -7.5 | ||
| 2022 | 3–9 | 2–6 | Thomas Hammock | 1331 | -18.8 | ||
| 2021 | 9–5 | 6–2 | Thomas Hammock | 1460 | -7.1 | ||
| 2020 | 0–6 | 0–6 | Thomas Hammock | 1326 | -18.4 | ||
| 2019 | 5–7 | 4–4 | Thomas Hammock | 1406 | -13.9 | ||
| 2018 | 8–6 | 6–2 | Rod Carey | 1493 | -2.7 | ||
| 2017 | 8–5 | 6–2 | Rod Carey | 1514 | -1.4 | ||
| 2016 | 5–7 | 5–3 | Rod Carey | 1498 | -2.4 | ||
| 2015 | 8–6 | 6–2 | Rod Carey | 1545 | -0.9 | ||
| 2014 | 11–3 | 7–1 | Rod Carey | 1630 | -0.6 | ||
| 2013 | 12–2 | 8–0 | Rod Carey | 1680 | 6.3 | ||
| 2012 | 12–2 | 8–0 | 22 | Dave Doeren, Rod Carey | 1687 | 12.4 | |
| 2011 | 11–3 | 7–1 | Dave Doeren | 1664 | 2.2 | ||
| 2010 | 11–3 | 8–0 | Jerry Kill, Tom Matukewicz | 1631 | 7.6 | ||
| 2009 | 7–6 | 5–3 | Jerry Kill | 1466 | -4.6 | ||
| 2008 | 6–7 | 5–3 | Jerry Kill | 1426 | -1.6 | ||
| 2007 | 2–10 | 1–6 | Joe Novak | 1365 | -17.0 | ||
| 2006 | 7–6 | 5–3 | Joe Novak | 1535 | -2.5 | ||
| 2005 | 7–5 | 6–2 | Joe Novak | 1599 | 5.9 | ||
| 2004 | 9–3 | 7–1 | Joe Novak | 1611 | 4.0 | ||
| 2003 | 10–2 | 6–2 | Joe Novak | 1600 | -2.9 | ||
| 2002 | 8–4 | 7–1 | Joe Novak | 1559 | 4.0 |
Every season back to 1966 (36 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 6–5 | 4–3 | Joe Novak | 1466 | -2.0 | ||
| 2000 | 6–5 | 4–3 | Joe Novak | 1454 | 5.6 | ||
| 1999 | 5–6 | 5–3 | Joe Novak | 1368 | -14.5 | ||
| 1998 | 2–9 | 2–6 | Joe Novak | 1248 | -12.6 | ||
| 1997 | 0–11 | 0–8 | Joe Novak | 1166 | -23.6 | ||
| 1996 | 1–10 | Joe Novak | 1177 | -36.0 | |||
| 1995 | 3–8 | 3–3 | Charlie Sadler | 1283 | -18.5 | ||
| 1994 | 4–7 | 3–3 | Charlie Sadler | 1387 | -11.7 | ||
| 1993 | 4–7 | 3–3 | Charlie Sadler | 1348 | -22.5 | ||
| 1992 | 5–6 | Charlie Sadler | 1392 | -7.0 | |||
| 1991 | 2–9 | Charlie Sadler | 1356 | -21.7 | |||
| 1990 | 6–5 | Jerry Pettibone | 1520 | 1.0 | |||
| 1989 | 9–2 | Jerry Pettibone | 1539 | -0.3 | |||
| 1988 | 7–4 | Jerry Pettibone | 1450 | -12.6 | |||
| 1987 | 5–5–1 | Jerry Pettibone | 1420 | -3.8 | |||
| 1986 | 2–9 | Jerry Pettibone | 1352 | -14.8 | |||
| 1985 | 4–7 | 4–4 | Jerry Pettibone | 1415 | -10.8 | ||
| 1984 | 4–6–1 | 3–5–1 | Lee Corso | 1462 | -11.3 | ||
| 1983 | 10–2 | 8–1 | Bill Mallory | 1607 | 10.8 | ||
| 1982 | 5–5 | 5–4 | Bill Mallory | 1456 | -4.6 | ||
| 1981 | 3–8 | 2–7 | Bill Mallory | 1371 | -15.6 | ||
| 1980 | 7–4 | 4–3 | Bill Mallory | 1472 | 2.2 | ||
| 1979 | 5–5–1 | 3–3–1 | Pat Culpepper | 1397 | -6.2 | ||
| 1978 | 5–6 | 2–4 | Pat Culpepper | 1329 | -9.8 | ||
| 1977 | 3–8 | 2–5 | Pat Culpepper | 1259 | -17.8 | ||
| 1976 | 1–10 | 0–6 | Pat Culpepper | 1176 | -30.2 | ||
| 1975 | 3–8 | 2–3 | Jerry Ippoliti | 1283 | -11.8 | ||
| 1974 | 4–7 | Jerry Ippoliti | 1315 | -24.8 | |||
| 1973 | 6–5 | Jerry Ippoliti | 1443 | -14.4 | |||
| 1972 | 7–4 | Jerry Ippoliti | 1509 | -4.6 | |||
| 1971 | 5–5–1 | Jerry Ippoliti | 1399 | -6.7 | |||
| 1970 | 3–7 | Doc Urich | 1263 | -8.5 | |||
| 1969 | 3–7 | Doc Urich | 1096 | ||||
| 1968 | 2–8 | 1054 | |||||
| 1967 | 0–4 | 1124 | |||||
| 1966 | 0–1 | 1140 |
Officially 622–541–51 since 1899 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 324–358–4 (686 of its 1,214 games are on file). Our file starts in 1966; the program began in 1899. Some games are missing from our source.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.