DeKALB, IL - As Northern Illinois University football approaches its 40th anniversary season in Huskie Stadium this fall, there might be no more significant game or major event in that facility's history or during the institution's 107-year intercollegiate athletics legacy than what will occur during the coming months in the North end zone area.

The $9.5-million NIU Academic and Athletic Performance Center---planned for that North end zone---will soon no longer be an architect's rendering. At a press conference in conjunction with the annual Northern Illinois Spring Football Game, first-year Athletics Director Jim Phillips announced Saturday (April 23) that Huskie Intercollegiate Athletics will embark on the largest capital project in its history. With $5.0 million in private donations already committed to the project, the AAPC moved into the "public phase" for solicitations. When the $7.0 million campaign goal is reached, NIU will begin breaking ground for the new all-purpose facility.

In recent years, the football program has generated national headlines for the institution. With five consecutive winning seasons, Northern Illinois has won 19 of its last 25 games---including triumphs over Bowl Championship Series programs such as the University of Alabama, University of Maryland, and Iowa State University. The Huskies finished in the major-college Top 30 the last two seasons and defeated Troy University, 34-21, in the 2004 Silicon Valley Football Classic. If anyone appreciates that type of national visibility, it would be NIU President John Peters.

"The exposure that has resulted from our recent football successes has a profoundly positive impact on NIU---undergraduate enrollment applications soared, financial support rose and student and alumni pride and participation flourished," Dr. Peters said. "In order to ensure that we may continue to enjoy the many on and off the field successes, a commitment must be made to the future of this athletics program.

"This is truly a transformational project---one that this university is committed to and supports 100 percent," Dr. Peters added. "A special thanks to our leadership donors for their unprecedented generosity and committment to our vision. They have set the benchmark for others to follow."

To keep that type of momentum in all 17 Huskie intercollegiate sports---not just football, the AAPC is a necessity.

"This is certainly a monumental moment for Northern Illinois Intercollegiate Athletics," Phillips said. "This amazing response of $5.0 million comes without the benefit of a naming donor. Obviously, that is a direct reflection on our committed Huskie family members. With this facility, the benefits to our student-athletes will be immeasurable. Our Academic and Athletic Performance Center will influence the next several generations of Huskie student-athletes. This is an investment in our young people, our department, and our university. It's about providing that world-class experience for our student-athletes and staff.

"This historic moment would not be possible without our 14 leadership donors," Phillips said about the benefactors that contributed a minimum of six figures to the AAPC. "In a project such as this, there are three events: The campaign kickoff, the groundbreaking, and, eventually, the grand opening. We're absolutely thrilled to be making this announcement.

"Once on campus, the facility will allow our current and future deserving student-athletes to learn and train in an environment that will maximize their academic and athletic potential. The AAPC will provide our coaching staffs with a recruiting tool to attract the most gifted student-athletes," Phillips added.

Upon completion, the multi-story, state-of-the-art NIU Academic and Athletic Performance Center will boast the prerequisite facilities that a sound Huskie mind and body require in a diverse, 17 sport, National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I program with 426-plus student-athletes.

"This is a historic day for our entire athletic program," said Northern Illinois head football coach Joe Novak. "Believe me, this is a much-needed facility. It will help us make the most of our talent, it will help us retain student-athletes, and it will help us in recruiting future student-athletes. We've all heard the term `front porch.' Your athletic program and your facilities are the front porch of the university. Those facilities, that's the first impression of your program, your institution."

According to the updated floor plan, the building will be positioned on a three-foot grass berm and located adjacent to the North end zone of Huskie Stadium. The AAPC will be connected via a hallway to the West Grandstand infrastructure. The centerpiece of the main floor will be the Academic Support Center. The Academic Support Center speaks of the commitment to the NIU student-athlete. This vital area features a fully equipped technology lab with internet access. The Academic Support Center will have four areas for private study, group study, one-on-one tutoring, and guest lectures, plus additional office space for Student-Athlete Support Services personnel.

"When prospective student-athletes and their parents tour our new facilities, the Academic Support Center will make an awesome first impression," Phillips said. "It will clearly emphasize our programmatic and institutional obligation to the `student' in the phrase `student-athlete.'"

Located on the East end of the facility, the AAPC Strength and Conditioning Center encompasses 14,000 square feet---almost triple the size of the 14-year-old Hall of Fame Speed and Strength Complex currently in Huskie Stadium. The new center will be fully equipped with the most advanced cardiovascular equipment, machines, and free weights. A four-lane, 40-yard track will be included to aid training efficiency.

On the opposite end of the building are the Athletic Training Room and the Equipment Room. Designed to provide the most efficient service to the Northern Illinois student-athletes, the training room offers exclusive areas for rehabilitation, injury prevention, hydrotherapy, and taping. The facility also has private examination rooms for the team physicians and training staff. The new equipment area features more storage space, plus new washers and dryers.

Also located on the main floor, the Football Locker Room has easy access to both the training and equipment rooms, in addition to a centralized meeting area for pre-game and halftime pep talks, plus a bronze Huskie dog statue in the tunnel en route to the Brigham Field playing surface.

The second floor of the Academic and Athletic Performance Center marks the location of the football staff offices, meeting rooms, and the Tiered Classroom which features seven levels and seating for 150 student-athletes in oversized chairs. The room can be used for team meetings or divided in half and utilized as a study hall in the evenings for the Northern Illinois student-athletes. The Tiered Classroom provides an ideal venue for other university-related functions, such as coaching clinics, workshops, and speakers. In addition, the AAPC has two roof terraces for entertaining university guests.

"Again, we want to thank the 14 leadership donors for positioning us for success," Phillips said. "This is the type of facility that will have an immediate impact on our program and our institution."

The AAPC leadership donors (and naming opportunity): Fran and George Wilkins, Jr., Culver, IN (Carole & Joe Novak Academic Support Center), Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon, Schaumburg (Strength & Conditioning Center), Doug and Lynn Roberts, Sycamore (Upper Level Reception Area), Jerry and Jinny Andres, Redmond, OR (Head Football Coach's Office), Justin and Sherrone McCareins, Huntington, NY (Tiered Classroom), George Nahas, Orlando, FL (Roof Terrace #1), James and Lisa Palmer, Longwood, FL (Coaches' Locker Room), Jeffrey and Doreen Eckmann, Bermuda Run, NC (Team Tunnel), Timothy and Nancy Dacy, Lake Forest (Roof Terrace #2), Midwest Orthopedic & Neurological Specialists, Sycamore (Athletics Training Room), Brian and Danita Bemis, DeKalb (Meeting Room), Chester (Chet) and Teresa Young, Prospect Heights (Equipment Room), Bob Brigham, Jr., DeKalb (Bob and Gertrude Brigham Offensive Coordinator's Office), and Ryan and Julie Diem, Indianapolis, IN (Offensive Line Meeting Room).

Yordon, Andres, McCareins, Eckmann, Dacy, Brigham, Sr., and Diem are former Northern Illinois football student-athletes. The value of the Academic and Athletic Performance Center is obvious to any Huskie student-athlete, past or present.

"Personally, it (AAPC) will give our future student-athletes the opportunity to raise the level of competition on the field and in the classroom," said senior-to-be Northern Illinois women's volleyball standout Marie Zidek (Evergreen Park / Chicago Heights Marian Catholic). "This will make all our student-athletes better. There's more computers, more study halls, more training space. This program is already filled with hard-workers. With this new facility, everyone can push that much harder."

NIU's original Huskie Stadium West Grandstand was completed in 1965 and, ironically, the East Grandstand was added in 1995. Northern Illinois defeated Illinois State, 48-6, in the first football game played in the 28,000-seat facility on November 6, 1965. The playing surface was named Brigham Field in honor of long-time AD Bob Brigham, Sr., in 2003.

For further information on the Northern Illinois Academic and Athletic Performance Center, please contact NIU Athletics Development at (AC 815) 753-1923.

-NIU- ---MIKE KORCEK