Collegiate athletics is full of great traditions passed down from class to class, but few represent their university like the “boneyard” tradition that represents NIU.
Since 1983, NIU football has marked its wins over Power Four – formerly Power Five – opponents with a wall of dog bones brandished with the opposing program’s name and logo, as well as the score.
The Huskies’ win over the University of Notre Dame on Sept. 7 added the 19th bone to the boneyard.
This tradition makes one thing clear – NIU is a perpetual underdog.
A school the size of Notre Dame is expected to find wins against any school on the schedule. But for the Huskies, this win was a fruit of passion and devotion throughout the entire program.
According to former NIU students, the underdog spirit goes beyond athletics.
“I think the whole school kind of embraces that underdog mentality,” said NIU alum Tom Burton. “I’m on record saying in the past that guys who go to NIU are kind of players who were passed over by programs like Notre Dame. So, I think that kind of resonates with the players and also resonates with anybody who goes there.”
NIU may never be a Goliath in athletics or education, but it has become an admirable David to those that find their way here.
“I think a lot of times, NIU might not be, necessarily, students’ first choice,” said NIU alum Scott Nicol. “I’ll be perfectly honest, I went to junior college first, and I had my eyes set on other places. And then, during my time in junior college, I was in business, so I was looking at the business school and realized how good of a school they had there.”
While a school like Notre Dame may draw the eye of eager college students selecting a school, moments like those on Sept. 7 demonstrate how strong a school like NIU can be.
When these moments arise, the energy is spread to all corners of Huskie nation, even to non-sports fans like Adrienne Chinski, a sophomore psychology student who attended the game in South Bend, Indiana.
“I think I was jumping up and down and screaming,” Chinski said. “I didn’t really know that we won until everyone around me started cheering because I didn’t know what was happening, but it was so exciting. I’ve never felt that much excitement for sports before, because I’m not really a sports person, but that felt different.”
The most recent treasure in the boneyard does not just record an unforgettable memory – it represents the strength and determination of all the underdogs in DeKalb that call themselves Huskies.
