In 1978 10 individuals became the charter members of the Huskie Hall of Fame.

Players, coaches, and even former athletic director George “Chick” Evans were inducted in the first class.

And on Friday evening NIU will once again open the doors to the Hall of Fame, as it honors another four individuals and two teams.

“First and foremost, heartiest congratulations to our latest Hall of Fame inductees,” NIU athletic director Jim Phillips said. “As in past induction classes, this is an exceptional group of individuals and teams who have represented Northern Illinois at their finest in the athletics endeavor.”

The 1950 and 1951 baseball teams, Rodney Davis (basketball in 1984-88), Jerry Ippoliti (coach/administrator/conference commissioner in 1969-75, 1979-99), Sue Kause (softball in 1984-88), and Mike Terna (football in 1977-80) comprise this years honorees.

A formal ceremony will be held for the class on Friday evening at the Duke Ellington Ballroom. Bill Baker, the voice of NIU football and basketball on the Huskie Radio Network, will serve as the banquet emcee.

But the events do not stop there for the inductees. The group will appear in the annual Homecoming parade, and then will be honored at the Huskies’ Homecoming game.

During halftime, the Hall of Fame class will be invited on to Brigham Field in front of the home crowd.

“Their individual and collective accomplishments are outstanding,” Phillips said. “This is our legacy and our institutional history. This is what Northern Illinois Intercollegiate Athletics have always been about.”

As Phillips said, the class’ accomplishments stand out.

Davis played as a guard for the basketball team from 1984-88. He totalled 1,175 points, 332 assists, and 314 rebounds during his four years. The guard signed free agent contracts with the Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves during the late ‘80s.

Ippoliti is a product of Miami (OH), but coached football at NIU. The coach produced NIU’s first winning record in Division I-A, but eventually moved on to become the MAC commissioner. It was there that he created a 12-school, two-division MAC, a league title game and the Motor City Bowl tie-in.

A first baseman, Kause proved she could excel both on and off the field. Kause proved to be an offensive and defensive power house. She holds the school marks with 18 game-winning RBIs and first base fielding percentage. Off the field Kause had a 3.93 GPA in biological sciences and earned her M.D. in 1992.

Only one of four MAC players of the year produced by NIU, Terna ranks No. 7 for career tackles at NIU. Double-digit tackle games were a normal for this linebacker, who posted three consecutive triple-figure hit seasons.

The 1950 and 1951 baseball teams combined for a record of 27-14. The group swept Southern Illinois in a doubleheader in 1950, and earned many individual efforts. However, these teams stand alone as they won back-to-back Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships.

The doors to the Huskie Hall of Fame will open and welcome these recipients this weekend. However those doors will quickly shut again, only to be opened next in the fall of 2008.