Northern Star

As AstroTurf ages, grass debate rages

By Chris Sigley | October 20, 1987

Is it real or is it AstroTurf? It is AstroTurf, and it needs to be replaced. The artificial playing field laid in 1980 in Huskie Stadium has served its purpose, but it is wearing thin. "We're in the process of looking at costs to have the turf redone,"...

Correct AD choice necessity to NIU athletics

October 20, 1987

The NIU athletic department has been given a major opportunity to improve itself, an opportunity which it should not waste. The university is deep in the process of choosing a new athletic director to head both men's and women's athletics. The decision...

NIU football notebook

By Dave Tuley | October 19, 1987

Random notes on tonight's intrasquad scrimmage and on the spring practice session:

Even the most casual football fan will notice one thing missing from tonight's game—there will be no kickoffs.

According to Head Coach Jerry Pettibone, the Huskies will be punting and placekicking, but kickoffs are being eliminated because they are "a high-injury situation."

Instead, teams will put the ball in play at their own 35-yard line at the start of each half and after scores.

Other aspects to make the game as realistic as possible include Big 10 officials and regulation time-keeping. Pettibone said the clock would run as in a regular game until the final quarter, where it may run without interruption "depending on the score of the game."

Wednesday's practice was to have been a light workout in shorts, but was canceled due to the heavy rainfall. However, the spring session generally enjoyed ideal weather conditons.

One Huskie who said the Midwest's version of spring does not agree with him is Drake Shead. The junior running back complained on one cloudy practice day of how fine the weather is in his native Plano, Texas ("Just a Plano boy," defensive tackle Rodney Akis called him).

"That would be a good story. I'm the only one around here from Texas, and this is cold up here," Shead said.

Sophomore Akis has an interesting souvenir for his efforts on the football field—two long scars paralleling his kneecap. The 5-foot-11-inch, 225-pounder from Chicago's King High School proudly displayed an elaborate brace, a more advanced model than the mandatory variety worn by each Huskie during practices.

Sloan 1st in line for AD forum

By Jim Wozniak | October 16, 1987

Starting today, NIU athletics encounters what is arguably one of the most important weeks in its history. What began as an internal and external review of the athletic department has developed into a changing of the guard at the athletic helm. NIU President...

Iwema moonlights to aid Huskie cause

By Dave Tuley | October 16, 1987

When a football player is named a team's top offensive player for two out of three games, you would not think he would be moved to another position. But that is not the case with NIU's Kent Iwema. The 6-foot-1, 209-pound senior has been moved from tight...

NIU spikers to battle Warriors and Irish

By Kari Brackett | October 9, 1987

NIU's football team is not the only squad which will play at home during Homecoming weekend. The Huskie volleyball team will take on Marquette tonight at Chick Evans Field House at 7 p.m. On Saturday the lady spikers travel to South Bend, Ind. to compete...

Pettibone: An emotional letdown

By Dan Moran | October 6, 1987

In facing the Monday-morning quarterback showdown, Jerry Pettibone brought along an expert to the weekly Huskie Club Luncheon—his wife Susy. "I'm going to direct all your questions to her," Pettibone said. "She's the expert on football in the family."...

A look back at Homecomings past

October 5, 1987

When NIU takes on the Toledo Rockets Saturday, it will be the 80th time the Huskies have played a Homecoming contest. Last year's script wasn't written too well, as NIU went down to a 20-6 defeat to Miami (Ohio) on a cold, rainy, late October day. But...

Two-point conversion stops NIU

By Dave Tuley | October 5, 1987

YPSILANTI, Mich.—One play literally decided the winner of the NIU-Eastern Michigan game Saturday. A two-point conversion pass from tailback Gary Patton to wide receiver Mark Ziegler gave the Hurons a 32-31 victory before 13,306 fans in Rynearson Stadium....

‘Big Mo’ plays key role in Huskies’ narrow loss

By Dan Moran | October 5, 1987

YPSILANTI, Mich.—When George Bush won the Iowa caucus during the 1980 presidential campaign, he bragged about having something called "Big Mo." "Big Mo," of course, is not a stomach disorder or a bad hangover. It is momentum, that mystic quality that...

Glisk leads Huskies by setting example

By Kari Brackett | October 1, 1987

The setter is offensive leader in volleyball just as a quarterback leads his offensive team in football. The "quarterback" for the NIU volleyball team for the last three years has been Beth Glisk. Although a football quarterback is a glamour position,...

McLendon big part of basketball history

By Dave Elsesser | October 1, 1987

An understudy of basketball's inventor said Wednesday, the work of an overzealous custodian played a key role in the sport's origin. John B. McLendon, believed to be the last person alive to have worked under Dr. James Naismith, told listeners during...

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