DeKALB, Ill. – For six Northern Illinois University football "Super Seniors," returning to NIU to continue their education while playing the game they love for a program on the rise was a matter of loyalty and opportunity.
 
For NIU head coach Thomas Hammock, the return of six veterans – made possible when the NCAA granted student-athletes an additional year of eligibility due to COVID-19 – provides a group of leaders who set the standards on the field and off.
 
The six NIU Super Seniors – in order of longevity – are linebackers Kyle Pugh (Chicago Heights, Ill./Bloom Township HS) and Lance Deveaux Jr. (Pompano Beach, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS), offensive lineman Brayden Patton (ElletsviNIU Folle, Ind./Edgewood HS), punter Matt Ference (St. Louis, Mo./Lafayette HS), wide receiver Tyrice Richie (Chicago, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor HS) and tight end Luke Mallette (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young HS). Pugh is the "veteran" of the veterans as 2021 will be his school record seventh season as a Huskie. Deveaux and Patton are back for their sixth years, Ference for his fifth and Richie, who came to NIU out of junior college, his third. Mallette arrived at NIU as a grad transfer last year.
 
With bachelor's degrees in hand, most of the senior starters had the option to move on to their next chapter – as several of their former teammates did – or to return to NIU. For Pugh, Deveaux and Patton, their experiences as Huskies, opportunity to continue their development as players and excitement about the future of NIU football all contributed to their decisions to return.
 
"NIU is my home," Pugh said. "This place gave me an opportunity out of high school, and it's where my loyalties lie. The school has done a lot for me and my family. I got my degree, but I still had a lot to prove to myself as far as football. I missed a lot of time due to injury. I wanted to have a full season and to prove to myself that I can still do it."
 
After missing the entire 2020 campaign due to injury, Deveaux relishes the opportunity to finish his career on the right note.
  
"The brotherhood that we have here brought me back," said the Pompano Beach, Florida native. "I wanted to come back and get one more season in with my guys. I feel like I have some unfinished business. I love NIU, and I love this team and I believe Coach Hammock is leading us in the right direction."
 
Patton echoed many of the same themes.
 
"I just love the University, I love being part of this team and I love what Coach Hammock is doing," Patton said. "The coaching staff does a great job recruiting and they've done a great job developing the players. You can feel within the team the love and the bond that we have for each other. We really take pride in being one team together. We are such a tight, tight team.
 
"I'm excited to be here, get another season to come back and continue to work toward preparing myself for the next level, get to my goal of being all-conference and then obviously help this team win and get a MAC Championship."
 
Hammock, a 2002 NIU grad, called college "the best time of your life" and said he would have made the choice to return if given the opportunity.
 
"If you can extend [your college career], you know, why not," Hammock said. "If I would have had the opportunity to extend my college experience, I would have taken full advantage of it. I think these guys love to play, they love to compete. I think they love what we have coming back and the talent of our team. If they thought this team couldn't raise their level of play, I don't think they would have returned. To me, it speaks volumes to our team that these guys want to be a part of the greatness that's in store."
 
The Huskies' Super Seniors bring 165 games of experience, topped by Ference's 45. Pugh and Deveaux Jr., who have each seen seasons cut short or even missed due to injury, have played in 34 and 33 games, respectively. Patton has played in 35 games with 25 starts on the offensive line; Richie has seen action in 17 games and started 12 over the last two years. Mallette played in one game last season after transferring from Amherst College.
 
Ference already owns nearly every NIU single season and career punting record, although he wouldn't mind having fewer opportunities to punt in 2021. Richie returns after making 53 catches for 597 yards in just six games a year ago to earn first team All-MAC honors in 2020. Pugh's career totals include 186 tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss and Deveaux brings 106 tackles, 71 solo, into his final season.  
 
While the playing experience is an advantage, Hammock sees the seniors' greatest impact to the team coming off the field.
 
"The biggest thing is handling your business in the classroom, handling your business socially and handling your business athletically, and these seniors are great examples of guys that have done it the right way in every aspect of their lives," Hammock said. "When you have guys like these six that you can point to as great examples of doing things right in every facet, you can build and create the type of culture, that level of accountability where we can grow together as a football team."      
 
While putting up with the occasional "grandpa" or "old man" jokes from their younger teammates, the Super Seniors have embraced their roles as mentors.
 
"Lance, Kyle and I were all talking the other day, we have these shirts from the 2018 MAC Championship, and we were looking around and said, it's kind of crazy that there are only a couple of us left," said Patton. "It's also cool because you get to mentor the young guys, show them how it's done and then watch them develop."
  
"It's good to take these young guys under my belt and be a part of helping mold them into what it is to be a Huskie," Deveaux added.
 
Pugh believes his journey, which has included its share of comebacks among his experiences, can be an example to younger players who may face similar situations.
 
"I've been through adversity, so I can talk to guys who are going through similar things," Pugh said. "I think they see me as a big brother, they're not going to have all the answers, but I have a lot of them so I'm here to answer any questions or just be somebody to talk to. I'm familiar with the playbook, and I've played in a lot of big environments, so I think my experience will be a benefit to this young team."
 
The next chance to see the Huskies in action is this Saturday, April 10, at the Huskie Spring Showcase as Hammock will put his team through its paces beginning at 11 a.m. in Huskie Stadium. NIU will scrimmage for a good portion of the workout, which will start with one-on-one competition and include on-field commentary and interviews. Limited concessions will be available, and NIU staff members will be on hand to answer questions about 2021 season tickets. Following practice, Hammock will address the crowd to provide a spring update. Fans can also download the NIU Huskies mobile app to take part in the trivia contests and win prizes.  
 
NIU Football season tickets renewals are now available for 2019 or 2020 season ticket members. NIU anticipates being able to accommodate all season ticket members for games at Huskie Stadium next fall. On the West Side, reserved seats in sections A, B, F and G are $132 for all six games with senior citizens (62+), NIU Faculty/Staff, NIU Alumni Association and Varsity Club members will pay $132 for season tickets in any non-premium area on the West Side. For all others, reserved seats in sections C, D and E on the West Side are $150. Benchback and chairback seats in sections C, D and E on the West Side are $150 and require a per seat payment.
 
Returning season ticket members can renew their season tickets online at NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). The ticket office can also be reached via email at huskiestickets@niu.edu.
 
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