The Northern Illinois Huskies football program is a college football team representing Northern Illinois University (NIU) in the Football Bowl Subdivision of college football. NIU football plays its home games at Huskie Stadium on the campus of the Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. The Huskies compete in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a member of the West Division, where they have won six championships in 1983, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2021. They have played in twelve post-season bowl games since 2004, most notably the 2013 Orange Bowl.
The NIU football program was established in 1899, playing its first ever game against DeKalb High School and was led by coach John L. Keith to the team's first ever victory. NIU started out in the independent scene from 1899 through 1919 before joining the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The team became independent again in 1925. NIU returned to the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1928 and finished the season winless for the first time.
NIU's first major success came in the 1960s under the leadership of head coach Howard Harpster. Harpster led the Huskies to two conference championships (1963 and 1964) and their first bowl game appearance in the 1963 Mineral Water Bowl.
Players from NIU that made it on an NFL roster include Justin McCareins, LeShon Johnson, Brett Tucker, and Doug Bartlett.
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