Head football coach Jerry Pettibone leaves NIU for Oregon State with a winning record on and off the field.

When he came to NIU in 1985, Pettibone inherited a team searching for a winning identity.

Through his six-year tenure, Pettibone’s teams have had their ups and downs, but he leaves the football program in better shape than when he took control.

A considerable accomplishment considering the difficulty of that task with the built-in roadblocks he encountered.

Among the many milestones NIU’s 17th head football coach leaves is the Huskies’ first ever win over a Big Ten opponent (19-17 over Wisconsin in 1988), the first three-season winning record streak since the 1960s (1988-1990), a slew of broken team records too numerous to mention, a national team-rushing title (1990), a record-breaking national scoring champion quarterback in Stacey Robinson, and this season’s highlight, a 73-18 thrashing of 24th-ranked Fresno State that made national headlines.

But Pettibone’s accomplishments off the field are even more impressive.

Anyone who has dealt with Pettibone during his NIU career, even his detractors, would be hard-pressed to recall a time when Pettibone has been anything other than fair, open and cooperative.

Oregon State is gaining a football coach who leaves NIU with many friends and admirers who wish Pettibone good luck, and offer their thanks for a job well done.