Collapse takes Huskie

On June 29, 2003, tragedy struck the NIU community as sophomore offensive lineman Shea Fitzgerald died in the Chicago porch collapse.

Fitzgerald was at a party downtown at his brother’s apartment with teammates Pat Raleigh and Brad Cieslak when he and 11 others fell three stories to the ground and were trapped underneath piles of wood. Fifty-seven others were injured.

The Huskies honored Fitzgerald by enclosing his locker and wearing patches on their jerseys.

– Adam Zolmierski

Hoops’ hopes dashed

After being picked first in the MAC’s preseason coaches’ poll, the NIU men’s basketball team fell short in its hopes of the conference crown, finishing sixth in the MAC West.

The Huskies (10-20 overall, 5-13 MAC) started their season with closely contested losses to Notre Dame and Iowa and landed on ESPN’s top 10 mid-majors after a win over Illinois-Chicago.

NIU’s hopes of contention in the MAC disappeared when it hit a 10-game losing streak toward the end of the season.

The Huskies finished their regular season winning three of four games but could not get past Buffalo in the first round of the MAC tournament.

Seniors Marcus Smallwood and Perry Smith were selected as All-MAC honorable mentions. Smith received the same honor last season, and Smallwood was a first-team pick.

– Steve Brown

Nation watches NIU

It took a 10-2 season and three wins over ranked teams for the NIU football team to gain the nation’s attention.

After knocking off No. 13 Maryland in the season opener, the team went on to win seven in a row. With the success, the Huskies graced the pages of Sports Illustrated and were discussed on ESPN as they were ranked as high as 10th in the nation.

The winning streak ended when NIU lost to Bowling Green in the first All-MAC nationally televised game. Then, after a loss to Toledo, the Huskies were pushed back in the rankings to 26th and missed out on going to their first bowl game since 1983.

– Sean Ostruszka

Heizer comes close

Ben Heizer solidified himself as one of the best wrestlers in NIU history with his second-place finish at the NCAA Championships in March.

The 184-pounder lost the championship match to West Virginia’s Greg Jones 10-5. The match was televised on ESPN.

Heizer finished his season with a 30-2 record. Both of Heizer’s losses this season came at the hands of Jones.

The second-place finish was the highest placing by a Huskie since Johnny Johnson finished second in the 190-pound weight class in 1973.

– Jason Watt

Groth bolts to Nevada

NIU lost its first female athletic director on March 8 when Cary Groth announced she was leaving the university to assume the athletic director position at the University of Nevada at Reno.

The 47-year-old Groth assumed her duties in Reno on April 15. She signed a six-year contract to head the Wolf Pack, who compete in the Western Athletic Conference.

Groth was at the forefront of Huskies athletics for nearly 10 years. She started her athletic director tenure on Aug. 8, 1994.

Groth is one of only five female NCAA Division IA athletic directors. She will earn $220,000 a year, an $85,000 raise from her 2004 NIU salary.

– Marc Marin