Can you feel it? Can you feel the excitement surrounding NIU Athletics? I'm telling you, Huskie fans, it's there - from the Convocation Center to the Yordon Center to Barsema Hall, throughout Chicagoland and yes, on social media.
 
I'm excited about our new head football coach, about the team we have coming back, the staff he is putting together and a new energy around the building. I get fired up when I hear from our alumni, our football alumni, from faculty and staff around campus and people in the community who are ready to get re-connected to the program. 
 
I'm energized about the NIU basketball teams and the potential I have seen as the men's team battles for a division championship and the women's team continues to do whatever it takes to win games. Finally, when I see softball and baseball getting ready to open their seasons, and see golf and tennis scores popping up on my phone, I get a little spring in my step because I know we're getting closer and closer to spring!
 
On January 18, I had the distinct honor to introduce NIU alumnus Thomas Hammock as the 23^rd football head coach in NIU history. I hope you had a chance to watch the press conference live, as I detailed the hiring process, the specific abilities we were searching for in a head coach and the many people that had a hand in bringing Thomas home.
 
 
On that day, I was extremely confident that Thomas Hammock "checked all the boxes" on my 10-point "wish list" and with each passing day, that confidence has GROWN.  From his familiarity – and beyond familiarity, his true love and passion – for NIU and this job, to his ability to connect with our current players, to his getting after it on the recruiting trail, he has the secret sauce!!  Talk about someone who knows our traditions, who lived "The Hard Way" as a student-athlete and an assistant coach (BEFORE there was a Yordon Center or a Chessick Practice Center), and who embodies the term student-athlete as a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. I believe his emphasis on winning in the classroom, in the community and on the field with a family-first mentality will take us to the next level. His knowledge of all facets of the game and body of work at the college and professional levels is impressive. Time and again, his mentors and former players told me that Thomas is a true "player's coach," with the ability to build trust and bridge the gap between coaches and players as they work toward a common goal. Finally, in Coach Hammock, we found a coach and a person who can unite Huskie Nation, including all NIU alumni, the student body, faculty and staff, donors, former student-athletes from all sports, and supporters throughout the area, region and country.
 
Of course, one person cannot do this alone. It's up to everyone to "Come Back with Hammock" to help take NIU Football to the next level I talked about at the press conference. If you are a former season ticket member, we want you back. Please consider purchasing season tickets, and/or becoming a donor to the Huskie Athletic Fund. If you are a loyal season ticket member and plan to come back, we are here. Renew today! Season tickets can be renewed online now, and we are currently taking deposits for new season ticket members.
 
On the field, Coach Hammock will have plenty of help, beginning with 14 returning starters off the 2018 MAC Championship team, including the Huskies' top four tacklers, and five All-MAC performers. These are names you know, like Kyle Pugh, Antonio Jones-Davis, Marcus Childers and Tre Harbison. Coach Hammock and his staff have already added to the initial class of recruits signed in December and are on the hunt for more talent around the state and beyond.
 
I've been impressed by the staff Thomas has attracted to NIU. His first four assistants are in place with the rest expected to clear the HR process and be announced in the coming days. They are all talented, experienced, coaches who are clearly on board with #TheHardWay mentality that will continue to characterize Huskie Football. Many of the new coaches have personal connections to Coach Hammock, which will make for a very cohesive group. I hope you have the chance to meet many of them soon as we welcome them, and eventually their families, to NIU.
 
Mark April 20, 2019 on your calendars as the Huskies will complete their first spring practice under Coach Hammock with the annual Huskie Bowl. I hope to see many of you at Huskie Stadium.  
 
The excitement around NIU Athletics is not confined to the football program as the Huskie basketball programs enter February in the thick of the races for a MAC title. With a historic win over 14^th-ranked Buffalo on January 22, the NIU men's team showed they can play with anyone in the league. The 77-75 victory in front of one of the best – and loudest – crowds in years, was NIU's first win over a ranked team since 1973, and just the third over a ranked opponent ever.  It was fun to see Noah McCarty's game-winning bucket and the postgame celebration featured in the national media, including on ESPN and in the Chicago Tribune.
 
The Huskie women's basketball team is 5-4 in the MAC and 13-8 on the year as they look to secure a top four seed in the MAC Tournament. I love the fight in this team.
 
You have a great chance to see both the men's and women's teams in action during the "Cram the Convo" doubleheader (click here to purchase tickets) on Saturday, February 16 as the Huskies take on Toledo (women) and Bowling Green (men).  This is going to be an action-packed day you will not want to miss. During a breakfast prior to tipoff of the women's basketball game, we are welcoming back more than 70 NIU female student-athletes from 1961-81 as part of our Legacy Celebration. Prior to Title IX, our women student-athletes did not receive letters, and on February 16, we are going to correct that omission. It's going to be a great weekend to honor these Huskie pioneers.
 
The NIU Alumni Association is holding its Fifth Annual Alumni Day between games of the doubleheader from 2-4 p.m. at Victor E. Court with free popcorn and hot chocolate, NIU mascot Mission and more. Members of the Alumni Association can purchase a ticket to both games for just $5.  
 
One of the highlights of the Cram the Convo event, and it's already getting a lot of buzz out there, is the Victor E. Huskie bobblehead giveaway, presented by Northwestern Medicine. (pictured)  The first 1,000 fans for EACH game of the doubleheader will receive this one-of-a-kind keepsake.  The ONLY way to get the bobblehead is to attend the game, so I'll see you at the Convo on February 16.
 
Come to think of it, we might save a couple of those bobbleheads and use them as auction items for the Fourth Annual Victor E. Ball coming up on April 27, 2019.  We'll be returning to the NIU Naperville campus for this year's event, with more information coming soon on our line-up of special guests, how to purchase tickets, the online silent auction and more. The Victor E. Ball is without question one of my favorite events of the year as our coaches and supporters, along with several of our student-athletes, come together to support student-athlete scholarships. See you there!
 
As you can tell, 2019 is off to a great start and the momentum is only going to build from here! Did I say momentum? As you can see from our 2019 department motto (picture), just posted throughout our buildings this week, momentum will be critical to move NIU Athletics forward this year. I hope you are ready to be a part of it. 
 
Go Huskies!
 
 




Sean T. Frazier
Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics