DeKALB – One of NIU’s most storied Greek traditions returns to campus next week as the Interfraternity Council prepares to host its annual Tugs competition in the heart of Greek Row.
With its origins at NIU going back to the late 1940s, Tugs is a week-long tug-of-war competition held every spring among IFC fraternities. Since 2023, Tugs tournaments have been held at 912 Edgebrook Drive, just north of Delta Gamma’s Delta Nu chapter house.
Organizers anticipate this year’s competition will be the “biggest, most highly attended, largest revenue grossing event in TUGS history.” IFC President Adrien De La Peña said the organization has been working to boost attendance from not only undergraduate students, but alumni as well.
“We’re expecting close to 300 alumni that are planning on coming out for this event, which is probably one of the biggest turnouts that we’ve had since planning the event at the plot on Greek Row,” De La Peña said.
Seven teams, one champion
This year’s event features seven fraternities – two fewer than last year, with Tau Kappa Epsilon and Phi Kappa Sigma choosing to abstain from competition.
Leading the field is top-seeded Sigma Nu, which has become a Tugs juggernaut in recent years after winning the past four championships. Meanwhile, second-seeded Phi Sigma Kappa will look to break through after three straight championship losses.
The tournament begins Monday evening with back-to-back matches. No. 3 Phi Kappa Psi and No. 6 Alpha Sigma Phi will square off at 5 p.m. in the first match before No. 2 Phi Sigma Kappa and No. 7 Sigma Alpha Epsilon take the trenches at 7 p.m. to close out the day.
The first round ends the following day when No. 4 Delta Chi and No. 5 Phi Kappa Theta face off at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Competition continues at 6 p.m. Wednesday as the two losers of Monday’s matches meet in the semifinals round of the loser’s bracket.
Monday’s winners will go head-to-head at 5 p.m. Thursday in the first semifinals match. Sigma Nu will then begin its fourth title defense at 7 p.m. Thursday, going up against the winner of the Delta Chi-Phi Kaps first-round matchup.
The final two matches of the loser’s bracket will take place at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday before the championship match kicks off at 4 p.m. between Thursday’s two victors.
Tugging for a cause
Tickets can be purchased online at the event’s CrowdChange page. Single-day admission passes for Monday through Thursday are $10 each, while passes for Saturday’s championships are $20. Week-long admission passes are also available for $30.
According to De La Peña, 15% of the proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to the NIU Foundation to be directed back into development of the Center for Greek Life, a project that commands $18 million.
“This is the first step for any organization on NIU’s campus that’s going to donate money towards the cause as a whole,” De La Peña said. “Since Tugs is our biggest event of the year, we wanted to make sure that it went to a cause that actually is going to help us at the end of the day, but is also going towards a good cause as well.”
As of 9 a.m. Thursday, the IFC has raised $4,760 towards its $25,000 donation goal for the event.
