Joe Novak obit

Former NIU football coach Joe Novak dies: ‘Your legacy will never be forgotten’

Novak led Huskies from 1996 to 2007

 He was not on the list.

Legendary NIU head football coach Joe Novak, who led the team through a formative decade from 1996 to 2007, has died at age 81, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

Interim head football coach Rob Harley spoke of Novak’s legacy in a post on X Tuesday night.

“Coach Joe Novak didn’t just build a winning football program at NIU - he built men of character, set a new standard of excellence & forever changed the trajectory of Huskie football. Praying for the Novak family,” Harley wrote. “Rest in peace, Coach Novak. Your legacy will never be forgotten.”

The former Huskies head football coach retired in 2007. Novak was a Miami (Ohio) graduate and former RedHawks assistant coach.

NIU Director of Athletics and Recreation Sean Frazier called Novak’s death " a big loss" and offered his condolences to Novak’s loved ones.

“A big loss for all of us at NIU and a truly great Huskie Legend!” Frazier wrote in an X post. “Joe Novak represents all that is good with college football and honored to have known him as a friend! Blessings to the Novak family during their time of transition.”

Many of the games during Novak’s tenure were listed among NIU’s greatest victories by Mike Korcek in a 2009 Daily Chronicle guest column.

Under Novak’s tutelage, the Huskies prevailed over Iowa State 24-16 on Sept. 27, 2003. NIU beat Troy 34-21 in the Dec. 30, 2004, Silicon Valley Classic. Korcek called the Aug. 28, 2003, home victory, 20-13 over Maryland, part of “a 10-2 Dream Season,” which saw a sellout crowd at Huskie Stadium.

On Sept. 20, 2003, NIU beat Alabama 19-16 on the road, with Novak as saying afterwards, “What a great, great football game for our program and our conference....it’s a memory our kids or I will never forget.”

During that historic 2003 season, the Huskies reached as high as No. 10 in the BCS standings.

Scott Battas, NIU Huskies football alum and director of athletics at Mascoutah High School, credited Novak as a primary foundation of his career.

“Today, the world lost one of the greatest men and one of the best coaches I have ever been around,” Battas wrote in an X post. “Coach Joe Novak wasn’t just an incredible football coach, he was an incredible person. There is no chance I would be where I am today, or doing what I’m doing, without him. He gave me an opportunity he never had to give. By allowing me to be part of ‘The Hard Way’ at Northern Illinois University, he forever changed the trajectory of my life.”

Novak began his coaching career at Warren Western Reserve High School in Ohio in 1968 as a collegiate assistant coach, according to NIU Athletics. He finished with a record of 63-76 as a head coach.

“Toughness. Hard work. Accountability. These are the traits Joe Novak has demanded of each of his Huskie players through the years, instilling them with the skills that enable them to succeed not only on the football field, but in their future endeavors as well,” a post on NIU Athletics webpage reads.

 

Playing career

1965–1966      Miami (OH)

Position           Defensive end

Coaching career (HC unless noted)

1972–1973      Warren Western Reserve (OH)

1974–1976      Miami (OH) (DC/LB)

1977–1979      Illinois (DL)

1980–1983      Northern Illinois (DC/LB)

1984–1995      Indiana (DC/LB)

1996–2007      Northern Illinois

Head coaching record

Overall            63–76 (college)

23–1 (high school)

Bowls  1–1

Accomplishments and honors

Championships

3 MAC West Division (2002, 2004–2005)

Awards

MAC Coach of the Year (2002)