Perhaps overshadowed by NIU’s appearance in the Orange Bowl is the man who led the football team, leaving right before the game was announced.

Former head coach Dave Doeren spent just a little under two years at NIU, going 23-4 and nearly undefeated in MAC play at 17-1.

Doeren led the football team to back-to-back MAC Championships and was officially bought out of his head coaching duties the day after repeating as MAC champions.

Now the head coach of North Carolina State, Doeren was hired on Dec. 1, a month before his former team appeared in the Orange Bowl.

While Doeren was filled with a sense of accomplishment in finally landing his major coaching gig, he took time to acknowledge his former home in his hiring news conference.

“While I look forward to our future at State, I want to acknowledge and thank the Northern Illinois players and fans for their support the last two years, especially President [John] Peters and [Athletic Director] Jeff Compher,” Doeren said in a Dec. 1 news conference.

Doeren’s short tenure proved to be one of the most successful in NIU history, considering the Orange Bowl appearance. The other benefits he brought to the program remain to be seen as most of his recruits have yet to play on the field barring a few exceptions.

The prospect of money and status factored into the decision of Doeren taking a buyout of his contract that would have kept him at NIU until 2017, but he put the program on the map in his last season.