Northern Illinois Huskies (official thread)

[ScriptOhio]

How Northern Illinois pulled off an incredible upset and added Notre Dame to its 'Boneyard'

NIU keeps a list of the bigger, better-funded programs that it beats. On Saturday it added the most notable win in school history.

www.espn.com

Against Notre Dame, Northern Illinois finally had its moment​

Thomas Hammock had every emotion rush through him Saturday, except for one.

Hammock, the Northern Illinois coach, had watched his team, representing his alma mater, take down No. 5 Notre Dame in the state where he grew up. His parents were there. So were his wrestling coach and 15-20 teammates from Bishop Luers High in Fort Wayne, Indiana, located about 95 miles from Notre Dame Stadium.

"I couldn't find them after the game, but they sent pictures," Hammock told ESPN on Saturday night, as NIU's team buses neared the Indiana-Illinois state line. "All of my buddies, they're Notre Dame fans. But for this one day, they supported the Huskies."

What a day it was as Northern Illinois shocked Notre Dame 16-14, recording its first-ever win against an AP top-five opponent and the first such victory by a Mid-American Conference team. The upset earned the Huskies the No. 25 ranking in the AP poll -- before this week, they hadn't been ranked since 2013.

Since 1983, NIU has kept a log of "Boneyard Victories," wins against major-conference opponents and other notable foes with bigger brands and budgets. As an NIU running back in 2002, Hammock helped secure one by rushing for 172 yards in a 42-41 overtime win against Wake Forest. He would never play again after experiencing symptoms from what would be diagnosed as a career-ending heart condition.

OK, who knew NIU has a "Boneryard Victories Log"? Well, I "googled" it:

https://www.ksnt.com/sports/sports-illustrated/500e8e08/northern-illinoiss-boneyard-is-one-of-the-coolest-traditions-in-college-football/#:~:text=Each%20bone%20is%20hung%20in,with%20the%20date%20and%20score.&text=Among%20those%20%22boneyard%20wins%22%20in,%22boneyard%20wins%22%20since%201983.

Northern Illinois's 'Boneyard' Is One of the Coolest Traditions in College Football​

Fresh off an upset of Notre Dame on the road, the college football world learned that the Huskies take their "boneyard wins" quite literally.

The Northern Illinois Huskies stole the spotlight in Week 2 of the college football season by upsetting No. 5 Notre Dame 16–14 on Saturday for their first win over a top-10 opponent in program history.

Huskies coach Thomas Hammock called it a "boneyard win" in an emotional interview on the NBC broadcast after the game, which is the term NIU uses for any victory over a Power Four program. On Tuesday, the college football world learned that Northern Illinois takes that "boneyard win" description quite literally.

WGN TV's Josh Frydman posted a picture to social media Tuesday of the Huskies' "boneyard" where each of those big wins are celebrated on a wall covered with bones. Each bone is hung in front of the logo of their opponent and is engraved with the date and score.



Among those "boneyard wins" in program history include victories over Nebraska in 2017, Iowa in '13 and Alabama in '03.

The program has kept a log of "boneyard wins" since 1983. Hammock, who played for the Huskies from 1999 to 2002, helped Northern Illinois to a boneyard victory by rushing for 172 yards in a win over Wake Forest in '02.
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Just sayin': At NIU, they call those “Boneyard'” wins — victories over power-conference schools or, in the case of Notre Dame, prominent independents. The first was 41 years ago against Kansas. The Huskies will now add a 19th bone to the wall for Saturday’s monumental win in South Bend.

 

[Bestbuck36]

Alabama?!? Lolol

 

[LovelandBuckeye]

Alabama?!? Lolol

September 20, 2003

 

[colobuck79]

My wife’s Alma mater. We watched that game straight through of course knowing they would blow it at the end. They didn’t. I won’t say how frisky things got that afternoon. I’m not the kiss and tell type.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Northern Illinois Board of Trustees to Vote on Mountain West Membership

The Huskies would leave the MAC—their home since 1997.

www.si.com

Northern Illinois Board of Trustees to Vote on Mountain West Membership​

The Huskies would leave the MAC—their home since 1997.

Northern Illinois has accepted an offer to leave the MAC and join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member beginning in 2026. Now, the university needs approval from its Board of Trustees.

A move to the Mountain West comes with a $2 million membership fee, to be paid in installments spread across six years. Any university move that requires $500,000 or more requires board approval. The trustees will convene to vote on Tuesday. Northern Illinois has recommended approval for the move.

In the meeting agenda, shared by Bryan Fischer on SI, Northern Illinois says that it expects for the conference change to be more than lucrative enough to offset the membership fee:

"The costs to support the transition to the (Mountain West), including travel, staffing, rebranding, and exit fees will be primarily offset by increased revenues from multimedia rights, revenue distributions, and guarantees from the conference as well as anticipated enhancements in revenue from ticket sales and donations. After admission to the MWC, a ramp-up period of one year is anticipated before revenues fully reach projected levels. The university does not plan to use existing institutional funds to support the transition," it said.

If the vote passes, the Huskies would leave the MAC for the second time. Northern Illinois was a member of the midwestern league from 1973 to '85 and re-joined in 1997 after stints as an independent program and as a football-only member of the Big West (1993 to '95). It will rejoin former conference-mates Nevada, San Jose State and UNLV in the new-look MWC. The league will also feature Air Force, Hawai'i, New Mexico, UTEP and Wyoming.

The Huskies have not yet announced a plan for the rest of their athletic programs.
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