April 23, 2008
DeKALB, Ill. - Fans, friends and alumni of Northern Illinois University will gather to honor former Huskie head football coach Joe Novak and his wife, Carole, this weekend (April 25-26) with a full line-up of events scheduled to coincide with the 2008 Spring Football Preview.
Several of Novak's former players will return to campus to honor the most successful coach in the major college era for NIU, including current Northern Illinois players in the NFL Ryan Diem (Indianapolis Colts), Justin McCareins (Tennessee Titans), Garrett Wolfe (Chicago Bears), Doug Free (Dallas Cowboys) and Sam Hurd (Cowboys).
Those players, along with the Novaks, will attend the Northern Illinois Spring Football Preview, which is free to the public, beginning at 1 p.m. at Huskie Stadium as new NIU head coach Jerry Kill completes his first spring in DeKalb.
Later that evening, the Novaks will be the guests of honor at the marquee event of the weekend, "A Night with Champions." The sold-out event will take place at the Holmes Student Center on the NIU campus beginning at 6:30 p.m. The program includes a video tribute to Novak's 12-year coaching career, reflections on Novak by several of his former players, remarks by Northern Illinois President Dr. John Peters and Interim Director of Athletics Robert Collins, as well as a silent auction. Kill will then introduce Novak, who will close out the evening's program.
At Novak's request, all proceeds from "A Night with Champions" will directly benefit the Northern Illinois Football program through the Huskie Athletic Scholarship Fund.
Auction items available for bid for the 400-plus guests in attendance Saturday night will include autographed footballs and photos by Novak and the current pros, including Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner, and chances to travel or enjoy pregame activities with the Huskies during the 2008 season, highlighted by a trip to the University of Tennessee.
The weekend activities begin Friday with an open house at the new Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon Center on the Northern Illinois campus from 4-6 p.m. Members of the campus and local communities are invited to stop by this free reception to wish the Novaks well.
On Saturday, the Novaks will kick off their day as guest judges at the HASF Tailgate Showdown on the West Side of Huskie Stadium where teams of cooks will serve tailgate fare to Huskie fans and vie for awards. Admission to the Tailgate Showdown, which includes beer, water and soda, along with the tailgate fare, is $10 per person and benefits the HASF. Admission to the Spring Football Preview is free and season tickets for 2008 will be on sale.
After spending 12 years (1996-2007) on the NIU sidelines as the head coach, Novak announced his retirement last November. After winning just three games in his first three seasons and enduring an 0-23 stretch while rebuilding the program from the ground up, he led the Huskies to seven straight winning seasons from 2000-2006. During that time, his teams claimed four MAC West Division titles and made two bowl appearances, the school's first since 1983. He coached five All-Americans and 42 first-team All-Mid-American Conference selections and each of the last two MAC MVPs (Wolfe and current NIU defensive end Larry English).
For more information on the weekend activities, go to www.niuhuskies.com.
-- NIU --
