Living in Columbus, Ohio I have not been to DeKalb for a home game in too many years. On Saturday my wife (a tOSU) grad and I drove to DeKalb from Columbus, Ohio met our daughter (a Miami grad) and her family who drove down from Wisconsin and attended the game. We had a marvelous time and thoroughly enjoyed the game day experience.

In many ways experiencing an NIU game in DeKalb is a better experience than attending a tOSU game in Columbus or a game in Ann Arbor. Negotiating a crowd in excess of 100,000 can be daunting.
Everything from parking, meeting our family in The Yard before the game, exiting the game etc could not have been easier. People were polite and helpful, the food selection in The Yard before the game was good for someone who was not tailgating. My wife was in a walking boot following surgery and we were planning to take a shuttle bus to the stadium but the walk from the Convo lot to the stadium was so short that she opted to walk.

I got a picture of my wife with both Victor E. and Mission. My three year old granddaughter loved Mission and was a bit afraid of Victor E. Try finding Brutus Buckeye for a pre-game photo op, not going to happen.

The NIU band is so good and so enthusiastic that it is a shame that they are so small. What a great group of kids who add so much to the game day experience, I hope that people appreciate them!

This was my first opportunity to see the Indoor facility and the sculpture of the three husky dogs at the entrance to the Hall of Champions. Integrating the two facilities that were built independently with the connecting hall was an inspired idea that worked flawlessly. The three dog sculpture came out much better than I anticipated after seeing some of the concept drawings and molds.

Since we had a three year old and a person in a walking cast we sat on the West side (row 52 in section C). I felt that the people around me were into the game and cheering throughout. They were not sitting on their hands and quiet which I had somewhat suspected based on previous posts in this forum.

We had so much fun that I kept wondering why with all of our recent success and how good a job NIU does in presenting the games our fan base has not grown. We would have had an equally good time (perhaps better) had the stadium been sold out. We even purchased hot dogs in the fourth quarter and they were warm.

My suggestions for improvement would be to set an objective of doubling the size of our already excellent band. Reduce the amount of the loud and at times obnoxious music that was blared at times during the game (do not eliminate it, just tone it down a bit and give more time to the band). I am not a fan of our current stadium announcer.

The limitations of Huskie Stadium (bathrooms and concessions) were not as apparent with a crowd of just over 11,000 as they would be with a crowd of 20,000 plus but I support everyone’s calls to upgrade the facility which would make a good game day experience even better. I really liked the concession stands and bathrooms at Purdue last year. I know that architecture is a limiting factor but perhaps we could find a way to incorporate some of those concepts on the West side.

Overall we had a blast and I will now begin attending more home games as DeKalb is in between Columbus, Ohio and my daughter’s home in Sun Prairie Wisconsin.

I will continue to attend any and all games scheduled in Soldier Field as it gives us an excuse for a mini vacation and we love visiting Chicago.

I hope to see everyone in Detroit later this year!

(10-20-2014 08:50 AM)bikechuck Wrote:  Living in Columbus, Ohio I have not been to DeKalb for a home game in too many years. On Saturday my wife (a tOSU) grad and I drove to DeKalb from Columbus, Ohio met our daughter (a Miami grad) and her family who drove down from Wisconsin and attended the game. We had a marvelous time and thoroughly enjoyed the game day experience.

In many ways experiencing an NIU game in DeKalb is a better experience than attending a tOSU game in Columbus or a game in Ann Arbor. Negotiating a crowd in excess of 100,000 can be daunting.
Everything from parking, meeting our family in The Yard before the game, exiting the game etc could not have been easier. People were polite and helpful, the food selection in The Yard before the game was good for someone who was not tailgating. My wife was in a walking boot following surgery and we were planning to take a shuttle bus to the stadium but the walk from the Convo lot to the stadium was so short that she opted to walk.

I got a picture of my wife with both Victor E. and Mission. My three year old granddaughter loved Mission and was a bit afraid of Victor E. Try finding Brutus Buckeye for a pre-game photo op, not going to happen.

The NIU band is so good and so enthusiastic that it is a shame that they are so small. What a great group of kids who add so much to the game day experience, I hope that people appreciate them!

This was my first opportunity to see the Indoor facility and the sculpture of the three husky dogs at the entrance to the Hall of Champions. Integrating the two facilities that were built independently with the connecting hall was an inspired idea that worked flawlessly. The three dog sculpture came out much better than I anticipated after seeing some of the concept drawings and molds.

Since we had a three year old and a person in a walking cast we sat on the West side (row 52 in section C). I felt that the people around me were into the game and cheering throughout. They were not sitting on their hands and quiet which I had somewhat suspected based on previous posts in this forum.

We had so much fun that I kept wondering why with all of our recent success and how good a job NIU does in presenting the games our fan base has not grown. We would have had an equally good time (perhaps better) had the stadium been sold out. We even purchased hot dogs in the fourth quarter and they were warm.

My suggestions for improvement would be to set an objective of doubling the size of our already excellent band. Reduce the amount of the loud and at times obnoxious music that was blared at times during the game (do not eliminate it, just tone it down a bit and give more time to the band). I am not a fan of our current stadium announcer.

The limitations of Huskie Stadium (bathrooms and concessions) were not as apparent with a crowd of just over 11,000 as they would be with a crowd of 20,000 plus but I support everyone’s calls to upgrade the facility which would make a good game day experience even better. I really liked the concession stands and bathrooms at Purdue last year. I know that architecture is a limiting factor but perhaps we could find a way to incorporate some of those concepts on the West side.

Overall we had a blast and I will now begin attending more home games as DeKalb is in between Columbus, Ohio and my daughter’s home in Sun Prairie Wisconsin.

I will continue to attend any and all games scheduled in Soldier Field as it gives us an excuse for a mini vacation and we love visiting Chicago.

I hope to see everyone in Detroit later this year!

A very good perspective from a "visitor" to DeKalb and Huskie Stadium. Some of us get immune to the great things about attending a game in HS. Every time I attend an away game at one of the bigger stadiums, I want to rush back to HS and kiss the ground there. I, for one, would never trade it for a tOSU or Michigan stadium or game experience. You can keep fighting through the crowds of 100K. Plus, Sean T. Frazier is doing his part to enhance the game day experience. There are a few things that need to be fixed, but all in all, they are doing a fine job.

I have never had a bad experience and NIU football games. It is what you make it. If you worry that they ran out of hot dogs etc, then you don't see the forest thru the trees. Fattys is great, tailgating is great, NIU football puts a great product on the field, the Yard is good and getting better. Perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

It was cold...lol.

My sister, whose son went to NIU, seems to really enjoy the games as well. We went to the Yard, had blankets so we sat on those while we ate (the few tables were occupado). For whatever reason she likes the "First down!" yell while holding her arm in everyone's face. It's a nice screen they have in the Yard, very big and still very clear. And I met Mission briefly as they took him through the Yard. I do wish they had some better beer in the Yard.

The crowd was disappointing - it was cold but not THAT cold. Kinda feel bad for the players as they've done so much in the past 4 years, they should by all rights be playing in front of full houses. I didn't order anything from concessions so I don't know how they did there (or whether they had hotdogs).

What happened to the cannon towards the end of the game, did they run out of blanks?

(10-20-2014 09:12 AM)7 Wrote:  It was cold...lol.

(10-20-2014 08:50 AM)bikechuck Wrote:  Living in Columbus, Ohio I have not been to DeKalb for a home game in too many years. On Saturday my wife (a tOSU) grad and I drove to DeKalb from Columbus, Ohio met our daughter (a Miami grad) and her family who drove down from Wisconsin and attended the game. We had a marvelous time and thoroughly enjoyed the game day experience.

In many ways experiencing an NIU game in DeKalb is a better experience than attending a tOSU game in Columbus or a game in Ann Arbor. Negotiating a crowd in excess of 100,000 can be daunting.
Everything from parking, meeting our family in The Yard before the game, exiting the game etc could not have been easier. People were polite and helpful, the food selection in The Yard before the game was good for someone who was not tailgating. My wife was in a walking boot following surgery and we were planning to take a shuttle bus to the stadium but the walk from the Convo lot to the stadium was so short that she opted to walk.

I got a picture of my wife with both Victor E. and Mission. My three year old granddaughter loved Mission and was a bit afraid of Victor E. Try finding Brutus Buckeye for a pre-game photo op, not going to happen.

The NIU band is so good and so enthusiastic that it is a shame that they are so small. What a great group of kids who add so much to the game day experience, I hope that people appreciate them!

This was my first opportunity to see the Indoor facility and the sculpture of the three husky dogs at the entrance to the Hall of Champions. Integrating the two facilities that were built independently with the connecting hall was an inspired idea that worked flawlessly. The three dog sculpture came out much better than I anticipated after seeing some of the concept drawings and molds.

Since we had a three year old and a person in a walking cast we sat on the West side (row 52 in section C). I felt that the people around me were into the game and cheering throughout. They were not sitting on their hands and quiet which I had somewhat suspected based on previous posts in this forum.

We had so much fun that I kept wondering why with all of our recent success and how good a job NIU does in presenting the games our fan base has not grown. We would have had an equally good time (perhaps better) had the stadium been sold out. We even purchased hot dogs in the fourth quarter and they were warm.

My suggestions for improvement would be to set an objective of doubling the size of our already excellent band. Reduce the amount of the loud and at times obnoxious music that was blared at times during the game (do not eliminate it, just tone it down a bit and give more time to the band). I am not a fan of our current stadium announcer.

The limitations of Huskie Stadium (bathrooms and concessions) were not as apparent with a crowd of just over 11,000 as they would be with a crowd of 20,000 plus but I support everyone’s calls to upgrade the facility which would make a good game day experience even better. I really liked the concession stands and bathrooms at Purdue last year. I know that architecture is a limiting factor but perhaps we could find a way to incorporate some of those concepts on the West side.

Overall we had a blast and I will now begin attending more home games as DeKalb is in between Columbus, Ohio and my daughter’s home in Sun Prairie Wisconsin.

I will continue to attend any and all games scheduled in Soldier Field as it gives us an excuse for a mini vacation and we love visiting Chicago.

I hope to see everyone in Detroit later this year!

Great post!

The people who were tailgating on the west side were wonderful. Every tailgater I saw followed the rules - tailgating in their assigned spaces. When they do that, it makes getting to your assigned spot SO easy and pleasant, and everyone is happy. Kudos to those tailgaters on Saturday!

The Yard was nice as usual. The Champions Club tent had cheese, veggies, bruschetta and egg rolls. The egg rolls were do damn good that my wife and I could not stop eating them. The wine from Aquaviva was terrific. I really enjoy the addition of Aquaviva this year - and I am not necessarily a wine drinker (though I'm becoming one). I have cut down on drinking beer and substituting it for wine. My stomach feels a lot better because I am not bloated. (The fans around me appreciate that, too.) Gee, if I become a wine conoisseur, I could become a Northwestern or Cubs (God forbid!) fan!!

(10-20-2014 09:20 AM)BobL Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 09:12 AM)7 Wrote:  It was cold...lol.

He has been in North Carolina too long. His blood has thinned out.

(10-20-2014 10:10 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  The people who were tailgating on the west side were wonderful. Every tailgater I saw followed the rules - tailgating in their assigned spaces. When they do that, it makes getting to your assigned spot SO easy and pleasant, and everyone is happy. Kudos to those tailgaters on Saturday!

The Yard was nice as usual. The Champions Club tent had cheese, veggies, bruschetta and egg rolls. The egg rolls were do damn good that my wife and I could not stop eating them. The wine from Aquaviva was terrific. I really enjoy the addition of Aquaviva this year - and I am not necessarily a wine drinker (though I'm becoming one). I have cut down on drinking beer and substituting it for wine. My stomach feels a lot better because I am not bloated. (The fans around me appreciate that, too.) Gee, if I become a wine conoisseur, I could become a Northwestern or Cubs (God forbid!) fan!!

You'll have to bring your pipe and knickers next time.

(10-20-2014 10:10 AM)klake87 Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 09:20 AM)BobL Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 09:12 AM)7 Wrote:  It was cold...lol.

He has been in North Carolina too long. His blood has thinned out.

Well, it was a bit cold - not November night cold - but cold anyway. It was made psychologically colder by the thick gray clouds that kept the sun away (until a sliver popped out late in the game). I wore 2 thick sweatshirts, a heavy winter coat, gloves, and earmuffs. However, I wore no underwear, so I was a bit chilled to the bone (so to speak) below the waist.

(10-20-2014 10:12 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 10:10 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  The people who were tailgating on the west side were wonderful. Every tailgater I saw followed the rules - tailgating in their assigned spaces. When they do that, it makes getting to your assigned spot SO easy and pleasant, and everyone is happy. Kudos to those tailgaters on Saturday!

The Yard was nice as usual. The Champions Club tent had cheese, veggies, bruschetta and egg rolls. The egg rolls were do damn good that my wife and I could not stop eating them. The wine from Aquaviva was terrific. I really enjoy the addition of Aquaviva this year - and I am not necessarily a wine drinker (though I'm becoming one). I have cut down on drinking beer and substituting it for wine. My stomach feels a lot better because I am not bloated. (The fans around me appreciate that, too.) Gee, if I become a wine conoisseur, I could become a Northwestern or Cubs (God forbid!) fan!!

You'll have to bring your pipe and knickers next time.

The pipe is fine, but I prefer a mini kilt. Shows off my gorgeous legs (as well as my hanging bagpipe). However, that will need to wait for a warm August/September game.

(10-20-2014 09:12 AM)7 Wrote:  It was cold...lol.

It was...There was supposed to be sun in the afternoon. That would have helped Tailgating and walk-up.

3 of 4 of our Home Games have had Rain or Cold/Wind or all. The Saturdays we've had Away games weather has been great.

This Saturday: Mid 60's and mostly Sunny. Not kidding.

(10-20-2014 11:40 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 09:12 AM)7 Wrote:  It was cold...lol.

It was...There was supposed to be sun in the afternoon. That would have helped Tailgating and walk-up.

3 of 4 of our Home Games have had Rain or Cold/Wind or all. The Saturdays we've had Away games weather has been great.

This Saturday: Mid 60's and mostly Sunny. Not kidding.

Yep, truly the worst schedule and weather combination for a season we've had in quite some time. Can anyone think of one worse in the last 15 years?

I'm not trying to excuse the poor attendance, it should be better, but man what a dreadful situation for home games.

(10-20-2014 03:11 PM)17Huskies Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 11:40 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 09:12 AM)7 Wrote:  It was cold...lol.

It was...There was supposed to be sun in the afternoon. That would have helped Tailgating and walk-up.

3 of 4 of our Home Games have had Rain or Cold/Wind or all. The Saturdays we've had Away games weather has been great.

This Saturday: Mid 60's and mostly Sunny. Not kidding.

Yep, truly the worst schedule and weather combination for a season we've had in quite some time. Can anyone think of one worse in the last 15 years?

I'm not trying to excuse the poor attendance, it should be better, but man what a dreadful situation for home games.

I don't remember any worse years recently. It doesn't help that our home games basically started in October.

(10-20-2014 03:11 PM)17Huskies Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 11:40 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 09:12 AM)7 Wrote:  It was cold...lol.

It was...There was supposed to be sun in the afternoon. That would have helped Tailgating and walk-up.

3 of 4 of our Home Games have had Rain or Cold/Wind or all. The Saturdays we've had Away games weather has been great.

This Saturday: Mid 60's and mostly Sunny. Not kidding.

Yep, truly the worst schedule and weather combination for a season we've had in quite some time. Can anyone think of one worse in the last 15 years?

I'm not trying to excuse the poor attendance, it should be better, but man what a dreadful situation for home games.

If there is a game the Saturday after homecoming, that's traditionally a game with low attendance. Add that to the fact that it's the third Saturday game in a row and then the crappy weather, and you have a recipe for a disaster. To be honest, the attendance was higher than I thought it would be.

and today we have a fantastic sunny day!

Bikechuck I loved your post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience.

**this is for whoever it is in athletics that LISTENED and took care of getting more portapots at the Convo lot. THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
I would also like to say thank you for having a place to buy water/drinks half way up to our seats at the little caged area. It has been a HUGE help.
These sound like small things but it really helps. And it makes a 9 year season ticket holder from Peoria area happy that folks are listening. :-)

I also have to say that I can tell that S. Frazier & company are working hard & listening to our suggestions to make game day better. I must say, I don't have bad times at NIU ever.

I am in complete agreement ...I LOVE being at Huskie Stadium. We are so lucky to be able to tailgate so close to the stadium. I don't want to have us be a 100,000 seat stadium. That's too big for me.

(10-20-2014 03:22 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 03:11 PM)17Huskies Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 11:40 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 09:12 AM)7 Wrote:  It was cold...lol.

It was...There was supposed to be sun in the afternoon. That would have helped Tailgating and walk-up.

3 of 4 of our Home Games have had Rain or Cold/Wind or all. The Saturdays we've had Away games weather has been great.

This Saturday: Mid 60's and mostly Sunny. Not kidding.

Yep, truly the worst schedule and weather combination for a season we've had in quite some time. Can anyone think of one worse in the last 15 years?

I'm not trying to excuse the poor attendance, it should be better, but man what a dreadful situation for home games.

If there is a game the Saturday after homecoming, that's traditionally a game with low attendance. Add that to the fact that it's the third Saturday game in a row and then the crappy weather, and you have a recipe for a disaster. To be honest, the attendance was higher than I thought it would be.

^This...

(10-20-2014 08:50 AM)bikechuck Wrote:  Living in Columbus, Ohio I have not been to DeKalb for a home game in too many years. On Saturday my wife (a tOSU) grad and I drove to DeKalb from Columbus, Ohio met our daughter (a Miami grad) and her family who drove down from Wisconsin and attended the game. We had a marvelous time and thoroughly enjoyed the game day experience.

In many ways experiencing an NIU game in DeKalb is a better experience than attending a tOSU game in Columbus or a game in Ann Arbor. Negotiating a crowd in excess of 100,000 can be daunting.
Everything from parking, meeting our family in The Yard before the game, exiting the game etc could not have been easier. People were polite and helpful, the food selection in The Yard before the game was good for someone who was not tailgating. My wife was in a walking boot following surgery and we were planning to take a shuttle bus to the stadium but the walk from the Convo lot to the stadium was so short that she opted to walk.

I got a picture of my wife with both Victor E. and Mission. My three year old granddaughter loved Mission and was a bit afraid of Victor E. Try finding Brutus Buckeye for a pre-game photo op, not going to happen.

The NIU band is so good and so enthusiastic that it is a shame that they are so small. What a great group of kids who add so much to the game day experience, I hope that people appreciate them!

This was my first opportunity to see the Indoor facility and the sculpture of the three husky dogs at the entrance to the Hall of Champions. Integrating the two facilities that were built independently with the connecting hall was an inspired idea that worked flawlessly. The three dog sculpture came out much better than I anticipated after seeing some of the concept drawings and molds.

Since we had a three year old and a person in a walking cast we sat on the West side (row 52 in section C). I felt that the people around me were into the game and cheering throughout. They were not sitting on their hands and quiet which I had somewhat suspected based on previous posts in this forum.

We had so much fun that I kept wondering why with all of our recent success and how good a job NIU does in presenting the games our fan base has not grown. We would have had an equally good time (perhaps better) had the stadium been sold out. We even purchased hot dogs in the fourth quarter and they were warm.

My suggestions for improvement would be to set an objective of doubling the size of our already excellent band. Reduce the amount of the loud and at times obnoxious music that was blared at times during the game (do not eliminate it, just tone it down a bit and give more time to the band). I am not a fan of our current stadium announcer.

The limitations of Huskie Stadium (bathrooms and concessions) were not as apparent with a crowd of just over 11,000 as they would be with a crowd of 20,000 plus but I support everyone’s calls to upgrade the facility which would make a good game day experience even better. I really liked the concession stands and bathrooms at Purdue last year. I know that architecture is a limiting factor but perhaps we could find a way to incorporate some of those concepts on the West side.

Overall we had a blast and I will now begin attending more home games as DeKalb is in between Columbus, Ohio and my daughter’s home in Sun Prairie Wisconsin.

I will continue to attend any and all games scheduled in Soldier Field as it gives us an excuse for a mini vacation and we love visiting Chicago.

I hope to see everyone in Detroit later this year!

I agree with you whole heartedly on how great it is to have Victor E. and Mission around for photo ops. I have pictures of me & my boys with Victor E.
I also agree on the Huskie Band. We LOVE our band which is the reason our season ticket seats are directly across from the band on the west side.