Northern Illinois Huskies Football

1951: Bob Heimerdinger leads Northern Illinois to a perfect record. 1963: Record-setting quarterback George Bork guides the Huskies to the 1963 National Championship. 1983: Bill Mallory coaches the Huskies to a MAC Championship and victory in the California Bowl. 1993: Running back LeShon Johnson finishes sixth in the Heisman Trophy race. 2003: Northern Illinois shocks national powerhouses Maryland and Alabama en-route to a 10-win season. 2011: Quarterback Chandler Harnish sparks the Huskies to a thrilling MAC Championship over Ohio. 2012: Heisman candidate Jordan Lynch and the Huskies win a second straight MAC title and earn a historic Orange Bowl berth.

Larry English. Doug Free. Michael Turner. Garrett Wolfe. P.J. Fleck. There’s nothing quite like being a Huskie, and only the chosen few can comprehend the feeling of pride, loyalty, and honor that defines the experience. Northern Illinois Huskies Football captures that feeling through revealing interviews with some of the greatest players to ever wear the Huskie uniform. Sports journalist and historian Dan Verdun chronicles the memories and stories of the countless young men who blocked and tackled their way to victory as a part of the great Huskies football tradition. Telling the fascinating story of Huskies football decade by decade, Verdun recalls all the important moments, unforgettable games, and lasting traditions that have been a part of football at Northern Illinois for over 113 years. From the school’s very first team led by coach John L. Keith in 1899 to Dave Doeren’s most recent squad and its unforgettable trip to the 2013 Orange Bowl, Northern Illinois Huskies Football will dazzle and delight fans of the subject with its irresistible mix of pride and nostalgia. Lavishly illustrated with photographs from throughout the program’s storied history, and with a foreword by beloved former head coach Joe Novak, Verdun’s book deserves a place in the collection of any football fan ever to sing: Forward together forward. There’s victory in view. Come on you Huskies.  Fight on you Huskies. And win for NIU.