Northern Illinois has lost its legendary football head coach.
Joe Novak, who was inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, passed away late Tuesday, July 28 at the age of 81. Novak led the NIU football team from 1996-2007, hauling in 63 wins.
“It is difficult to put into words the impact that Coach Novak has had on NIU Football, NIU Athletics and the wider NIU community,” NIU athletic director Sean T. Frazier said in a statement. “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 coached 139 games, which ranks second all-time in NIU history, and his 63 victories rank third in Huskie lore. He led NIU to a pair of bowl appearances: the 2004 Silicon Valley Bowl and the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl. He also led 10 players to All-American honors.
“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 said in a statement. “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, who was inducted into the MAC Hall of Fame in 2014, began his coaching career at Warren (Ohio) Western Reserve High School in 1968. He joined the Huskie staff in 1980 as defensive coordinator and then returned in 1995 as the 19th head coach in NIU history. Novak then rattled off seven straight winning seasons from 2000-06, and he went 32-8 at home in that span.
In 2003, Novak led NIU to 10 wins and its second consecutive MAC West title, and he was named MAC Coach of the Year.
NIU played 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 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.
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Legendary NIU head football coach Joe Novak dies at 81
Reporting by Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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By Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star | USA TODAY Network
