Income taxes? Only the Internal Revenue Service and your accountant know. This VIP mid-April date marks the deadline for qualified nominations for the Northern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

Any all-time Huskie sports great---be it a former student-athlete, head coach, assistant coach, administrator, athletics trainer, equipment manager, etc., you name it---can be nominated by Tuesday, April 15.

Founded in 1978, the Northern Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame celebrates its 27th induction class this fall and its storied roster currently boasts 175 individuals and 13 teams, The group represents a veritable "Who's Who of Huskie" athletics" featuring early program pioneers, All-America picks, national champions, Top 20 teams, all-pro athletes, and prominent sports-related figures.

In other words, it's the annual Best of Northern Illinois---which was the basic idea from the hall's inception.

Criteria for induction includes "...outstanding contributions to intercollegiate athletics at Northern Illinois University." According to the Hall of Fame by-laws, former NIU student-athletes and teams are eligible for nomination 10 years after the final year of their respective intercollegiate athletic competition while coaches, administrators, and staff can be nominated five years after their departure or retirement from the university.

Letters of nomination with documentation of each candidate (individual or team), photostatic copies of newspaper or magazine press clippings, yearbooks, or scrapbooks can be forwarded to committee chair Mike Korcek, NIU's sports information director emeritus. Any vintage materials will be returned once they have been photocopied for the committee's perusal.

"Believe me, every year this is the ultimate Huskie event," said Korcek who has covered Northern Illinois athletics since the mid-1960s. "That is no exaggeration. You can literally see and feel the Huskie pride, nostalgia, and fellowship at the social hour and banquet. It's a trip to our illustrious past. To hear the stories about middle class kids winding up in the NFL or playing in the NCAA or becoming highly successful in their post-NIU years. it's awe-inspiring. This ceremony oozes Cardinal and Black. This is our tradition, our Northern Illinois athletics legacy."

The process starts this spring and concludes on Homecoming Weekend in October. The 2008 NIU Athletics Hall of Fame induction class will be enshrined Friday night (October 17) and recognized at halftime of the Saturday (October 18) Northern Illinois-Toledo Mid-American Conference football contest in the Cardinal and Black's 102nd Homecoming Game on Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium. The annual banquet will be held at the Duke Ellington Ballroom of NIU's Holmes Student Center.

"As a committee, this is an open process," Korcek added. "We encourage our community, NIU alums, fans, and friends to be involved and forward nominations. This is also a tough, lengthy, and extremely competitive process. It is literally the best of NIU's best. But, to be inducted, first, you have to be nominated. Everyone's help is always greatly appreciated."

In 2007, the Northern Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame induction class included the 1950 and 1951 baseball teams, Rodney Davis (basketball in 1984-88), Jerry Ippoliti (coach / administrator / commissioner in 1969-75, 1979-99), Sue Kause (softball in 1984-88), and Mike Terna (football in 1977-80).

The charter NIU men's Hall of Fame induction occurred in 1978. After a five-year hiatus, it resumed on a yearly basis in 1983. The women's Hall of Fame originated in 1986. The two halls were integrated in 1988.

NOTE: The updated NIU Athletics Hall of Fame roster list appears on the current official Northern Illinois Athletics website <http.//niuhuskies.cstv.com/>. Just "hit" Hall of Fame on the menu located on the left side of the main page.

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