DeKALB, Ill. – Even fans unable to attend the 2017 Victor E. Ball on Saturday, April 29, 2017, can support Northern Illinois University student-athletes beginning today through the Victor E. Ball Silent Auction. The online auction is open to anyone beginning Wednesday, April 11 and will conclude on the night of the Second Annual Victor E. Ball. 
 
This year's auction features nearly 200 items and includes NIU memorabilia from several sports programs and Huskie gear, including football jerseys and helmets, a golf bag, jackets, T-shirts, sweats and more.  The memorabilia extends beyond NIU to signed items from local and national professional teams including the Chicago Cubs, Bulls and Bears, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Boston Celtics and more. Fans are encouraged to share the link with friends and family as the auction features something for everyone in all price ranges.
 
Tickets to Cubs games, local comedy clubs, brewery tours and spas as well as a complete Yankee Stadium ticket and tour are among the experiences up for bid.  There are rounds of golf at local courses, and suites for both NIU football and Kane County Cougars' games available.  Beyond the sports items, the auction includes jewelry, spa certificates, signed items, including guitars and album covers from famous musicians, a drone and even a vacuum cleaner!
 
Click on the link above to check out all of the items and register to bid.  Starting today, a different auction item will be featured on NIU Athletics' social media accounts each day up to the date of the Victor E. Ball so be sure to follow @NIUAthletics on Twitter, niuhuskies on Instagram and like NIU Huskies on Facebook!
 
The online website also lists the six trips that will be up for bid during the live auction on the night of the Victor E. Ball.  Only guests at the event will have the opportunity to bid on these exclusive trips:
 
To Florida with the NIU Men's Basketball Team in 2017;
To Nebraska with the NIU Football team in 2017;
To San Diego with the NIU Football team in 2017;
To Puerto Rico with the NIU Women's Basketball team in 2017;
To Iowa with the NIU Volleyball team in 2017 and
To the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Santa Clara, Calif.
 
For more detailed information on each of these trips, go to the auction website and search for "Live Items." 
 
All proceeds from the Victor E. Ball will go to support cost of attendance scholarships for NIU's 400-plus student-athletes in 17 sports programs.  Registration for the event, which will be held on campus inside the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Practice Center, is available online. Click here. All tickets purchased include a ticket to the 2017 NCAA Golf Championships, hosted by NIU at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, from May 19-31.
 
The Victor E. Ball is the premier fundraising event for NIU Athletics and features guest speaker Jerry Kill, NIU's former football coach who went on to become the Big Ten Coach of the Year.  Celebrity guests will include NIU head coaches, current student-athletes, 2013 Heisman Trophy finalist Jordan Lynch and NIU Hall of Fame and former San Diego Chargers and Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner. Chicago comic Adam Grabowski will emcee the evening, which will include inspirational stories from former and current Huskie student-athletes, dinner and dancing.
 
For questions about the auction, the Victor E. Ball or other ways to support NIU student-athletes, call the Huskie Athletic Fund at 815-753-1923.     
 
-- NIU --