George Bork obit

George Bork, legendary NIU football and basketball player, dies at 84

 He was not on the list.

DEKALB, Ill. (WREX) — Northern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Famer George Bork has died at the age of 84, NIU Athletics announced Thursday.

Bork was a two-sport standout at NIU and the first Huskie inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was the first quarterback in NCAA history to throw for more than 3,000 yards.

In his senior season in 1963, Bork threw for 3,077 yards and 32 touchdowns while leading NIU to a perfect 10-0 season, a Mineral Water Bowl victory and the College Division national championship.

During his four-year football career between 1960-63, Bork completed 577 passes for 6,782 yards and 60 touchdowns.

Several NIU passing records are still in Bork's name, including career completion percentage at 64 percent and single-season touchdown passes with 32 in 1963. He also holds single-game records for completions with 43 on Nov. 9, 1963 against Central Michigan and touchdowns with seven on Sept. 14, 1963 against Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Huskie Stadium, which went under construction just after the historic 1963 season, earned the nickname "The House the Bork Built." Bork went on to play in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes from 1964-67.

Beyond football, Bork also starred on the basketball court for the Huskies, scoring 1,114 points in three seasons. He earned team MVP honors as well as First Team All-IIAC and IIAC Player of the Year recognition.

Bork was named to NIU's All-Century Team in both football and basketball. He was inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1983, his football jersey number 11 was retired in 1996 and he became the first Huskie enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

Information regarding a celebration of life for Bork will be announced later.

The 6–1, 185 pound Bork rewrote the Northern Illinois University football record book with some help from end Hugh Rohrschneider during his junior and senior years at the DeKalb school. In 1962, Bork broke 14 college passing records ranging from yardage gained to best completion percentage. The following year, he bettered 10 of his records, tied one and set nine more for a total of 20. He also set a record of 244 pass completions during the 1963 NIU season.

Bork was the first college quarterback at any level to throw for 3,000 yards in one season. Bork first played football at Arlington High School, where he was an all-conference selection. Offered a basketball scholarship to Michigan, the athlete turned it down because he wanted to play football.

He played in 1964 to 1967 with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League, while with the Alouettes he worked as a gym teacher at Sir Winston Churchill High School in Ville St-Laurent he then signed with the Chicago Owls of the Continental Football League in 1968.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.