This time last year, Denny Doornbos pondered the idea of returning to coaching.

At the 2003 NCAA coaches convention, Doornbos decided to talk to an old friend, NIU football coach Joe Novak.

“I told him I wanted to get back into coaching,” Doornbos said. “He said there are always openings because a lot of people have moved from here to great jobs. That’s a great tribute to working for a guy like Joe.”

Novak offered Doornbos a job as linebackers coach for the Huskies, which Doornbos accepted in March. The Michigan native brought 22 years of Division-I experience to NIU, including 11 years as the defensive coordinator at Army.

Doornbos first coached with Novak in 1978, where he helped Novak with the defensive line. As a part-time coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Doornbos remembered breaking down film, scouting and recruiting – as a full-time coach would. Doornbos said he recalled approaching Novak for one main reason.

“I think it was the respect,” Doornbos said. “You get to know people pretty well when you’re around them for long hours. We were only there two years, but we got to know each other really well in that time.”

After coaching the NIU linebackers in 2003, the defensive coordinator position opened up on Dec. 31 when Scott Shafer took a job with the Illini. Novak said Doornbos was a natural decision because he had experience and already knew the program.

“I’m very excited about it,” Novak said of Doornbos running the defense. “I brought him in with the idea that he could step right into that position if Shafer left.”

NIU runs its defense as a team decision, Doornbos said. For his new job, Doornbos is happy to run the defense under a coach who “knows about defense,” but said things won’t be much different.

“We all have our different personalities,” Doornbos said. “I’m not Scott Shafer, and what makes people good at what they do is to be themselves. I’m not here to fix things because they’ve done a great job here already. We’re just always trying to improve. That’s my goal: to improve.”

Improving on a 10-2 record in 2003 may be a challenge for the new NIU defensive coordinator, but Doornbos said it’s achievable.

“I always look at it as I’d like to win every game,” he said. “We’ve got some good experience coming back. We’ve got to count on the guys who played last year, but we’ve got a good nucleus coming back.”

Doornbos said his main reasons for joining the NIU staff last spring was its capability for growth, the personalities of the staff and his good friend Novak.

“This is the best staff I’ve been around as far as personality,” Doornbos said. “They’re really fun to be around. Every place I’ve ever coached has had its unique thing, but one thing that’s especially important to me is working for someone I enjoy working for. Joe is one of the main reasons I’m here.”

Doornbos’ upbeat personality, approachability and experience make him a fitting replacement as defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator Matt Canada said.

“He’s got tremendous energy,” Canada said. “I know he’s up for the challenge, and we’re all excited about that.”