NIU coach was an Ohio State fan
By Doug Harris
Staff Writer
Sunday, August 27, 2006
COLUMBUS — Northern Illinois University coach Joe Novak normally doesn't put much credence in preseason polls, particularly those that involve his football team.
The Huskies are the overwhelming choice to win the Mid-American Conference West Division and were picked on 37 of 50 media ballots to capture the overall league crown. But the tally didn't exactly inspire Novak to begin fitting his players for championship rings.
"As I told our MAC media, they've been wrong a lot more than they've been right," he said.
But when it comes to forecasts about NIU's first opponent this season, Ohio State — anointed as the No. 1 team in the land by the coaches, The Associated Press, Sports Illustrated and others — Novak credits those pundits with a rare burst of insight.
Sure, OSU must replace 12 starters, a talent drain that would cripple many programs. But to Novak, who grew up in northeast Ohio and played for Bo Schembechler at Miami University in the mid-1960s, OSU is a different beast.
"They literally reload every year," he said. "They recruit well. Jim (Tressel) has done such a good job of shutting the borders of Ohio down and keeping all the good players home. And being from Ohio, I know if you're able to do that, you're always going to have a good team, because there's plenty of talent there."
Novak has found an adequate talent base in Illinois, too. And he's been able to take the castoffs from Bowl Championship Series conference schools and transform them from a MAC pinata to contender in his 11 seasons.
The Huskies went 3-30 during his first three years, dropping 23 straight games, but they've won four of the last five MAC West titles. NIU upset Maryland, Alabama and Iowa State in 2003, rising to No. 12 in the AP poll.
"We've played some big teams every year," Novak said. "We haven't won a lot of them, but we've never been blown out. Our kids are competitive with them. And they really look forward to those opportunities. Whether they're ready to win (against Ohio State), I don't know, but they don't back off."
The unassuming Novak began his coaching career in Ohio, leading Warren Western Reserve to the first big-school state playoff championship in 1972. He then spent 22 years as an assistant at Miami University, Illinois, Northern Illinois and Indiana before landing back in DeKalb in 1996. But he's never forgotten his roots.
"I was a big Ohio State fan growing up," he said. "That's where I wanted to go.
"What I've told our players and fans is we're playing in one of the great venues in all of college football. To go into Ohio Stadium — with how important football is in that state — it's a real treat."
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About N. Illinois
Coach: Joe Novak, 11th season, 54-60-0
First Division I-A season: 1969
MAC titles: One (1969)
MAC West Division titles: Four (2001, '02, '04, '05)
Last Bowl: Silicon Valley, 2004, NIU 34, Troy 21
Record vs. Ohio State: first meeting
Record last season: 7-5
Starters returning: 15
