DEKALB, Ill. – Legendary Northern Illinois University football head coach Joe Novak passed away on Tuesday (July 28) at the age of 81. Novak, who was inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, guided the NIU football program from 1996-2007, winning 63 games while turning around the fortunes of the Huskie football program. 

Novak led the Huskies to four MAC West Division Titles (2001, '02, '04, and '05) and was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year in 2002. He helped NIU earn national headlines in 2003 when the Huskies were ranked as high as No. 10 in the Bowl Championship Series standings.

"It is difficult to put into words the impact that Coach Novak has had on NIU Football, NIU Athletics and the wider NIU community," said NIU Vice President/Director of Athletics and Recreation Sean T. Frazier. "Not only was he a highly successful, Hall of Fame head coach, but he was also a man of great character who positively affected the lives of countless young men during his career. Coach Novak represents all that is good with college football, and I am honored to have known him as a friend."

Novak's 139 games coached ranks second all-time in NIU history and his 63 victories rank third in Huskie football history. The Mentor, Ohio native led NIU to a pair of bowl appearances, the 2004 Silicon Valley Bowl and the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl, and helped 10 players earn All-American honors at NIU. He was inducted into the MAC Hall of Fame in 2014. 

"Coach Joe Novak's leadership and unwavering commitment to Northern Illinois University helped shape the values that continue to define Huskie Football today," said NIU President Dr. Lisa C. Freeman. "We are deeply grateful for his service to NIU and for fostering a culture of hard work, integrity, and accountability that has left a lasting impact on our student-athletes, our university, and the entire Huskie community."

Novak attended Miami University and played defensive end, helping the Redskins claim back-to-back co-MAC Championships in 1965 and 1966. He would be inducted into the Miami Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007-08. Novak began his coaching career at Warren (Ohio) Western Reserve High School in 1968. Elevated to head coach five years later, Novak led Western Reserve to a 12-0 record and Ohio's large school division state title to earn 1972 Coach of the Year honors. He took Western Reserve back to the state finals a year later with an 11-1 record.

He began coaching at the collegiate level at his alma mater in 1974, spending three seasons in Oxford before moving on to Illinois in 1977. Following three years in Champaign, Novak joined the Huskie staff in 1980. In four seasons as defensive coordinator for the Huskies, Novak helped mentor four NFL draftees and was part of Bill Mallory's staff that led the Huskies to the 1983 MAC Championship and California Bowl title. 

After moving on to Indiana, where he spent 12 seasons (1984-95) helping the Hoosiers to one of the most successful periods in program history, Novak returned to DeKalb on Dec. 22, 1995, when he was named the 19th head coach in NIU history. 

In his first four seasons, Novak laid the foundation for a program that would enjoy seven consecutive winning seasons from 2000-06, going 32-8 at home during that seven-year span. 

"Coach Joe Novak didn't just build a winning football program at NIU – he built men of character, set a new standard of excellence and forever changed the trajectory of Huskie football," said NIU football coach Rob Harley. "Praying for the Novak family. Rest in peace, Coach Novak. Your legacy will never be forgotten."

Following a pair of six-win campaigns in 2000 and 2001, the latter of which culminated in a share of the MAC West crown, NIU went 8-4 in 2002, including a thrilling overtime win over Wake Forest in the season opener and a victory over 20th-ranked Bowling Green. For the second consecutive season, NIU shared the MAC West title, and Novak was named MAC Coach of the Year. 

Under Novak's guidance, the Huskies produced a magical 10-win campaign in 2003 that vaulted the program into the national spotlight. An overtime victory over 15th-ranked Maryland in the season opener, along with wins at 21st-ranked Alabama and over Iowa State before the end of September saw the Huskies soar into mid-October's initial BCS ranking at #10, while also reaching #12 in the Associated Press poll. NIU finished the season with a 10-2 mark and Novak was named the Region 3 Division I-A Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The Ohio native also was one of just nine coaches to receive at least one vote in balloting for the 2003 AP National Coach of the Year Award.

NIU would play in the postseason in each of the next three years as the 2004 Huskies went 9-3, culminating in a Silicon Valley Classic victory over Troy. In 2005, NIU reached the MAC Championship Game for the first time, falling narrowly to Akron, 31-30, and in 2006 the Huskies posted a seven-win season and met TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl. Novak announced his retirement following the conclusion of the 2007 season.