NIU Today

George Acker, a Northern Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame member, died on July 20 at the age of 83. A three-sport star at NIU, Acker lettered in football, basketball and tennis while attending Northern Illinois from 1948-52. Acker, an offensive guard, co-captained the 1951 Huskie football team that went 9-0 and won the Interstate Intercollegiate...

Northern Illinois University football player Trevor Olson (Richfield, Minn./Richfield) is one of 65 interior linemen named to the Outland Trophy Watch List. Awarded to the best interior lineman in college football, the Outland Trophy is named after John Outland, an All-American lineman at Penn and Kansas at the turn of the century. Olson, a senior,...

An idea conceived in an NIU classroom has become more than just another school project. When former Huskie defensive end Erek Benz was presented with the challenge of developing a start-up business for an entrepreneurship class, he teamed with former NIU quarterback Dan Nicholson, and business majors Christian Anderson and David Pickard. Together they created...

Chandler Harnish Northern Illinois University quarterback Chandler Harnish (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell) is one of 66 players named to the Maxwell Award Watch List. Given to America’s most outstanding college football player, the award is named in honor of sportswriter Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell. Harnish, a senior, put together the best year of his career in 2010...

Rockford native Carl Armato, a former Huskie basketball player and assistant coach, and a member of the Northern Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame, will return to his alma mater as an Associate Athletics Director, NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Jeff Compher announced Thursday. Armato, who has spent the past three years as the...

On April 30, 2011, former Northern Illinois women’s basketball star Lisa Foss was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame at Illinois State’s Student Center in Normal, Ill. Foss was one of 78 individuals honored that night and is the second Huskie in as many years to be honored by the IBCA....

The Northern Illinois baseball team split its seven-inning doubleheader against UW-Milwaukee Tuesday, winning 11-7 in Game One before dropping a 13-6 decision in Game Two. Wisconsin native Jamison Wells paced the Huskies (27-24) to the first win, ending a triple short of completing the cycle. He led off with a single to right in the...

Wendel McRaven, a 20-year veteran of collegiate cross country and track and field coaching, has been named Northern Illinois University’s new head women’s cross country coach. McRaven has spent the last six years as the men’s cross country and distance coach at the University of Illinois. “We are very excited to have coach McRaven join...

Darren Everson of the Wall Street Journal wasn’t joking when he published an article April 1 discussing a college football playoff replacement for the BCS. However, Everson’s unique take on the current college football landscape places NIU in rare air among the nation’s elite programs. Comparable to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Everson and staff...

Although none of the gymnasts on this year’s Northern Illinois gymnastics team had ever competed in NIU’s Chick Evans Fieldhouse before, the Huskies looked right at home in the team’s former home while competing in the State of Illinois Classic Saturday. Northern Illinois used its season-best performances on uneven parallel bars and balance beam to...

Northern Illinois University assistant coach Sundance Wicks will serve as Interim Head Coach of the NIU men’s basketball program, NIU Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Jeff Compher announced Thursday.  Wicks will lead the program during its current head coaching transition. “It is important for our staff and student-athletes to have a point of...

Ricardo Patton, who completed his fourth season as Northern Illinois’ head men’s basketball coach in 2010-11, will not return to the Huskie bench, NIU Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Jeff Compher and Patton announced Wednesday. “I appreciate the hard work and dedication to Northern Illinois University and our men’s basketball program that Ricardo...