Hall of Fame
The head coach of the NIU football team for six seasons from 1985-90, Jerry Pettibone is tied for fifth in Huskie football history with 33 wins, including a 9-2 record during the 1989 campaign. After leading the Huskie for one season in the Mid-American Conference, Pettibone's final five seasons came with the Huskies competing as an independent.Â
On September 17, 1988, Pettibone led NIU to its first victory over a Big Ten opponent as the Huskies defeated Wisconsin, 19-17, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. In 1989, NIU's nine-win season included a victory at Kansas State and a five-game win streak to finish the season as the defeated UNLV, Temple, Louisiana-Lafayette, Toledo and Cincinnati.Â
Pettibone's Huskies became the first team in school history to defeat a nationally-ranked opponent when they trounced 24th-ranked Fresno State, 73-18, on October 6, 1990. NIU produced an astonishing 806 yards of total offense in the contest, including 733 rushing yards. Stacey Robinson gained a then school-record 308 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns, his 287 first half rushing yards is still a NCAA record for yards gained in a half. The 1990 Huskies led the nation in rushing as they averaged 344.6 yards per game.
In Pettibone's six seasons, 10 different Huskies earned All-America recognition. Seven Huskies were selected in the NFL Draft during Pettibone's tenure, with three players being selected in the 1986 Draft (Scott Kellar, Curt Pardridge and Steve O'Malley) and three more chosen in 1987 (Doug Bartlett, Clarence Vaughn and Todd Peat).Â
Following his six seasons as head coach of the Huskies, Pettibone went on to be the head coach at Oregon State from 1991-96.Â
