Hello Huskies!
 
What a week, what a fall, what a time to be a Huskie! If you cannot tell, I am just a little fired up on so many levels about all the positive things we have going on at NIU right now.
 
We have to start on the football field where the NIU Huskies are back!  With six wins – most of them in nail-biting fashion – we already know that we will be "bowling" again in 2021. And this team is not done yet! With four games to play in the regular season, they are hunting that return trip to Detroit and a MAC Championship.
 
I hope you are making plans now to be in the stands, cheering the Huskies on November 10 and November 23 when NIU takes on Ball State and Western Michigan, respectively in our two MACtion games. These games are going to be big for momentum, and there is nothing like having the home crowd behind you. We are offering a special MACtion ticket deal that allows you to see both games for just $20 for a West Side reserved ticket, or $10 for an East Side general admission ticket. Use this link to purchase tickets TODAY!
 
Prior to the games, meet your fellow Huskie fans in The Yard, which moves inside the Chessick Practice Center in November. You'll still find the Kids' Zone, the Huskie Athletic Fund donor area and a DJ "warming up" the crowd, with the band and Silverettes rolling through for their pregame pep rally. The indoor Yard will open two hours before kickoff of each game.
 
Speaking of big games, it doesn't get much bigger, at least during the regular season, than this Saturday (October 30) for the 16^th-ranked Huskie men's soccer team. NIU takes on No. 19 Akron at the Soccer/Track & Field Complex at 2 p.m. with a chance to clinch the 2021 regular season MAC Championship AND would then host the MAC Tournament in November. Admission is free, so come out and cheer NIU on to a title!
 
Today, I'm also pleased to present NIU Athletics' 2020-2021 Annual Report. While in many ways the past year was one of the most challenging of my career, in others it was the most gratifying as I saw Huskies come together – granted, at times it was virtually – like never before. The Annual Report recaps our successes, from the MAC Championships, NCAA qualifiers and academic accolades to the ways we managed to communicate and to keep competing through the pandemic. We review our strategic plan progress, present a financial snapshot and most of all thank everyone who stepped up and allowed us to continue to provide a great – and safe - experience for NIU student-athletes.
 
Thanks also go out to those who have already contributed to this year's Huskies Invest: Week of Giving! With the help of some significant gifts, we are on our way to meeting this year's goals but need even more participation to push us over the finish line! Huskies Invest is about supporting our 400 student-athletes in all 17 sports programs, as well as NIU Recreation, Sport Clubs, the Huskie Marching Band and NIU Silverettes. If you have not done so already, please consider making a donation of any size. We appreciate you all!   
 
Don't forget! It's basketball season! Catch both teams in action this weekend with exhibition games Friday night (women) and Saturday afternoon (men). Season tickets are still on sale and the regular season gets underway November 9.
 
See you soon and Go Huskies!
 

 





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