Honors and Awards
| Tim Tyrell was the first Huskie to receive the Vern Smith Leadership Award after leading NIU to the 1983 Mid-American Conference championship.
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| Defensive end Larry English became the first defensive player, the first Huskie and only the fourth player ever to win the Vern Smith Award in back-to-back seasons.
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From all-conference players, players of the year and all-Americans, the NIU football program has had its share of award winners during its illustrious history. However, none are as decorated as quarterback Jordan Lynch. The two-time Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, Lynch cemented his legacy as one of the all-time greats in NIU history when finished third in the 2013 Heisman Trophy voting, the highest ever for a player from the MAC. The former Huskie QB was also a first-team All-American and a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, and Manning Quarterback Award.
While Lynch has reached heights rarely seen by a Huskie football player, he is just the latest in a long line of outstanding football players that have worn the cardinal and black. NIU has enjoyed an incredible run taking home the MAC's top honor, the Vern Smith Leadership Award winner. After Tim Tyrell became the first Huskie to win the award in 1983, Garrett Wolfe began a streak of seven Vern Smith Award winners in DeKalb in eight years when he took home the honor in 2006. Included in that stretch are two-time winners Larry English and Lynch.
Vern Smith Award Winners
Tim Tyrell, 1983
Garrett Wolfe, 2006
Larry English, 2007 & 2008
Chad Spann, 2010
Chandler Harnish, 2011
Jordan Lynch, 2012 & 2013
MAC Coach of the Year
Bill Mallory, 1983
Joe Novak, 2002
Rod Carey, 2013
Huskie All-Americans
National Honors
