Joe Novak, described as the mastermind of some of Indiana football’s best defenses, died earlier this week. He was 81.
Novak was an icon in the college football world. He was defensive coordinator for Bill Mallory at Indiana from 1984 to 1995 in a defensive coordinator role, before spending 12 seasons as the head coach at Northern Illinois.
During his time leading the Hoosiers’ defense, Indiana reached six bowl games during one of the best stretches of football in the program’s history. Novak became a crucial piece of Mallory’s rebuild in Bloomington, where the pair went 67-68-3 (.486) over 12 seasons.
In 1996, Novak took the head coaching job at Northern Illinois looking to lead a rebuild of his own. The first few years in DeKalb were tough, but the Huskies went 55-40 over his final eight seasons.
“His influence as a football coach and a person, it’s hard to measure, because it was on the top 1% of all football coaches and all people,” said Buck Suhr, a former coach alongside Novak who currently handles the color commentary for Hoosiers’ football.
Members of the football community and beyond have taken to social media mourning the loss of Novak:
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Joe Novak, Indiana football defensive coordinator in ’80s and ’90s, dies at 81
Reporting by Cameron Cocquyt, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cameron Cocquyt, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
