NIU football has been defined by the coaches who have carried the program to new heights. Here are the top 5 most winningest coaches in Huskies history.

1. George “Chick” Evans (1929-54)

George “Chick” Evans is the winningest coach in the history of NIU football, posting a record of 132-70-20 in 26 seasons as head coach. Evans led two undefeated Huskies teams, one in 1944 and one in 1951. His 1944 team went 7-0, outscoring its opponents 103-48. In 1951, the Huskies went 9-0, giving up seven points or less on five occasions. Evans coached three other sports including basketball, baseball and golf. He also collected more than 100 wins in both basketball and baseball. Evans’ football teams put up winning record in 22 of his 26 seasons as head coach, giving him a 64 percent winning percentage. He was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978.

2. Howard Fletcher (1956-68)

Howard Fletcher comes in at No. 2 on football’s all-time coaching list in wins, ending his 13-year tenure with a 74-48-1 record. Fletcher turned things around for the program after starting 7-20 in his first three seasons, going on to have .500 or better records in all 10 of his remaining years. He was also at the helm of a legendary Huskies team that went undefeated and became NCAA College Division Champions after defeating Southwest Missouri 21-14 in the 1963 Mineral Water Bowl. Fletcher won 60 percent of his games, winning at least seven in seven seasons before his Hall of Fame induction in 1983.

3. Joe Novak (1996-2007)

Joe Novak went 63-76 in 12 seasons as NIU’s head coach, giving him the third most wins as a coach and a 45 percent winning record. Novak’s teams won just three total games in his first three seasons, highlighted by an 0-11 record in 1997. The Huskies finished below .500 in Novak’s first four seasons; however, things changed in 2000 when the team finished 6-5, its first winning season since 1990 when it also went 6-5. The Huskies rallied for seven straight winning seasons, finishing first in the MAC West four times. The run was highlighted by a 2003 season in which the team went 10-2. Novak exited as coach after the Huskies finished 2-10 in 2007.

4. Jerry Pettibone (1985-90)

Jerry Pettibone ranks fourth all-time for coach’s wins despite only coaching football for six seasons. Pettibone went 33-32-1, winning 50 percent of his games and finishing with four .500-or-better seasons. His best season came in 1989 when the team went 9-2, finishing with a 56-3 win over Cincinnati. The Huskies took a dip the next season, going 6-5 and ending with a 24-20 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette, leading to Pettibone’s departure.

5. Rod Carey (2013-present)

Rod Carey ranks fifth in all-time wins just two-and-a-half years into his tenure with NIU. Carey was promoted to head coach of the Huskies just before the 2013 Orange Bowl, one of the biggest games in the history of the program. The Huskies lost the game but have accelerated since. Carey now holds a 27-9 record in his third season, and NIU has finished first in the MAC every year since his arrival. The Huskies finished 12-2 in Carey’s full year as head coach and 11-3 in his second season, giving him a 23-6 start to his career. He has a chance to move into fourth place on the all-time list this season as he’s only six games away.