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Northern Illinois University
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Northern Illinois University - Athletics - Athletics - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.85

Athletics

B+
Where does this grade come from?View all Athletics rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Athletics Grades:

Quick Stats

Athletic Association
  • NAA
  • NCAA
Athletic Division NCAA Division I-A
Athletic Conferences Football: Mid-American Conference
Basketball: Mid-American Conference
School Colors Scarlet and white
School Nickname Victor E. Huskie
Men Playing Varsity Sports 244 - 3%
Women Playing Varsity Sports 195 - 2%
Students Receiving Athletic Financial Aid Football: 86
Basketball: 30
Baseball: 33
Cross Country/Track: 27
Other Sports: 147
Graduation Rates of Athletic Financial Aid Recipients Football: 57%
Basketball: 100%
Baseball: 43%
Cross Country/Track: 50%
Other Sports: 69%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Athletics at NIU begin and end with the football team, and luckily, there have been a lot of happy endings lately. The football team recently played and won its first bowl game in more than 20 years. They have been building considerable momentum with high-profile victories over big programs like Maryland and Alabama. It would be nice if they could beat Toledo and Bowling Green consistently, but the MAC is a tough, underrated conference that has produced NFL stars like Daunte Culpepper, Chad Pennington, and Byron Leftwich. Football eclipses all other sports at NIU. The wrestling team has a national reputation but doesn’t receive much attention, and the less that is said about the basketball teams the better. Intramurals are generally a non-factor in student life, except for the gym rats who live for tournaments at the rec center. In terms of school spirit, NIU students are decidedly fair-weather fans. Unless the football team is competitive, devotion to sports on campus is sub-par, with the basketball teams consistently failing to draw crowds despite playing in a beautiful facility like the Convocation Center. The school has even struggled to sell out the student section for nationally televised games when the team is doing well. However, the diehards are fanatical and rowdy, even touting some players for the Heisman. Too bad there aren’t more of them.

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Northern Illinois Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Athletics at Northern Illinois University

Aholbrook

Business Administration and Management '14

4.6
A

MAC Champions

Football at NIU gets all the students riled up. MAC champions 2012! Homecoming is the one game that will be jam packed with students, family and alumni. Tailgating is a lot of fun before the games and the game experience is amazing.

May 16, 2012

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Athletics at Northern Illinois University

Jequancia

Biological Sciences '14

5.0
A+

School Pride

I am pleased to say although this is a large body of students at this university it is very close nit. The students and staff here have great school spirit and pride in the institution although some of the sports teams may not be the best.

Apr 07, 2012

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Athletics at Northern Illinois University

ksmythe

Nursing '15

3.1
B-

Football Is About It

Athletics aren't a huge part of NIU besides the football team. We were MAC Champs this previous year in 2011 and tailgating is a blast. Overall, though, not many people go to the basketball or soccer games unless you know someone.

Mar 11, 2012

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Page 1 of 10
User rating for Northern Illinois University - Athletics is 4.6 out of 5 based on 29 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

How popular are varsity sports on campus?

How popular are intramurals and club sports?

How would you describe the athletic facilities?

Facts

Men's Varsity Sports
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Soccer
  • Tennis
  • Wrestling
Women's Varsity Sports
  • Basketball
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
  • Volleyball
Intramurals
  • Badminton (singles, doubles)
  • Basketball
  • Bowling
  • Dodgeball
  • Flag football
  • Floor hockey
  • Golf
  • Racquetball
  • Shotokan Karate
  • Soccer (indoor)
  • Softball
  • Table tennis
  • Tennis
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball
  • Yahtzee
Club Sports
  • Aikido
  • Baseball
  • Brazilian jiu-jitsu
  • Equestrian
  • Fencing
  • Ice hockey
  • Kodokan judo
  • Kyuki-do
  • Lacrosse (Men's)
  • Rugby (Men's & Women's)
  • Soccer (Men's)
  • Swimming
  • Table tennis
  • Tennis
  • Triathlon
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball (Men's)
  • Water polo
  • Waterskiing & wakeboarding
Athletic Fields & Facilities
  • Anderson Courts
  • Anderson Hall Pool
  • Chick Evans Field House
  • Convocation Center
  • Gable Hall Pool
  • Recreation Center

Most Popular Sports

On the varsity level, football is a dominant presence on campus. When the team is playing well, it’s all anybody can talk about. Games are well attended, and tailgating is an essential part of the collegiate experience. Women’s volleyball games are a lot of fun to attend for a variety of reasons. Intramural sports don’t get that much attention, but basketball tournaments at the Recreation Center are highly competitive.

Most Overlooked Teams

The wrestling team is perhaps NIU’s most consistent winner but rarely generates the media coverage and fan attention that the football team does. They frequently find themselves ranked in the top 25.

School Spirit

NIU isn’t really a “rah rah sis-boom-bah” institution. Sure, students will wear clothing with the familiar Huskie logo, but NIU apparel doesn’t dominate campus by any means, even after a big win by the football team. Ironically enough, many students don’t acquire a fondness or sense of pride for their educational experience until it’s over with. Most alumni remain in the Chicago-land area and make frequent trips back to their alma mater.

Getting Tickets

Getting tickets to NIU sporting events is easy, especially since only the football team draws huge crowds. Football tickets are free to students and can be picked up at either the Holmes Student Center or the Convocation Center during the week before a game.

Best Place to Take a Walk

The East Lagoon, Welsh Park, and the indoor track in the NIU Recreation Center.

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Alex Aguilar

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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