The state of Illinois has a dispute over which school, NIU or the University of Illinois, started the tradition of homecoming.

Homecoming now is celebrated by almost all high schools and universities in the nation.

The NCAA officially gives the title of the first homecoming to the University of Missouri in 1911, but NIU and the University of Illinois both claim to have earlier homecoming beginnings.

“We were the first school to actually call the weekend homecoming,” said U of I Associate Sports Information Director Cassie Arner. “Other schools had earlier games, but we were the first to have the name.”

Arner said that in 1909 two students, C.F. Williams and Elmer Ekblaw, petitioned to have an event called “homecoming” to get alumni interested in the school.

The next year, the school had its first intercollegiate “homecoming” when the Illini beat Chicago University 3-0.

“The University of Illinois is second to NIU in this case,” said NIU Sports Information Director Mike Korcek. “We need pride here. We shouldn’t have to take the backseat in this case.”

According to the NIU media guide, Homecoming was said to have begun at NIU in 1903. This celebration included a football game between the varsity football team and a team of alumni.

The Northern Star, formerly known as the Northern Illinois, called the game “The Eventful Game” as the Northern Illinois State Normal School defeated the alumni 6-0.

It wasn’t until the weekend of Oct. 12-13, 1906 that the school had its first “homecoming” weekend. The name “Homecoming” was given to the annual event by the Northern Illinois in its Oct. 1906 issue.

In 1907, the NIU Alumni Association officially made the event annual. The Alumni Association constitution stated, “there shall be a social meeting of the alumni and guests, following the annual football game, on the evening of the second Saturday in October.”

It wasn’t until Oct. 24, 1914 that NIU played another school for Homecoming.

The 1914 game in which NIU defeated Wheaton College 29-3 is what Illinois considers the first NIU Homecoming game.

So who started the event called homecoming? It seems as if both Illinois schools had a hand in the making of the tradition.

Either way, NIU will celebrate what it is calling its 98th Homecoming Saturday against Central Michigan, while Illinois will have its 94th on Oct. 30.