Like any other school, NIU has had its fair share of fantastic games that went down in gridiron history.

So here it is, the top five moments in the past 10 years of Huskie football history.

With no disrespect to Huskies legends like former Heisman candidate LeShon Johnson, football is a team sport. This top five will only be featuring team achievements.

Which brings us to No. 5.

It was nine years ago that NIU found itself without direction.

Seeking a leader to get NIU on the right track, the football program brought a coach named Joe Novak to DeKalb.

Novak was hired and given a mission: Bring Huskies football to respectability. This mission was accomplished in amazing fashion. Without question, though, Novak has seen many bumps in the road getting there.

The Huskies victory over Central Michigan in 1998.

Why would a game against one of the MAC’s perennial bottom-feeders make the list of top five NIU moments in the last 10 years?

Well, this win saw a losing streak of colossal proportions come to an end; a losing streak that lasted 23 games and spanned three seasons.

Believe it or not, there was once a time when NIU opponents looked at the schedule, saw a game against the Huskies and got excited. But at the time, who knew that a win over CMU would be a precursor of the football frenzy to come?

This entry took place in 2002 during a November game against Bowling Green.

Ranked No. 16 in the nation and carrying an 8-0 record, a BG team led by coach Urban Meyer came to Huskie Stadium for a game not to be forgotten soon.

NIU pulled off an upset, proving to the MAC they were a force to be reckoned with.

This moment comes in a game that was NIU’s first win over a major non-conference opponent while in the national spotlight.

Wake Forest came to DeKalb in 2002, unaware of the offensive slobber-knocker they were in for.

The NIU win came down to a defensive goal-line stand. Wake Forest was stopped going for a two-point conversion in NIU’s first overtime game in the new OT format.

Last year’s nationally broadcast Maryland game.

Although a MAC championship was not to be had, the Maryland upset was the starting point for several team achievements in the year NIU football hit the national map.