It is with sad news to report the passing of Joe Novak, an NIU hall of fame Coach. He was also inducted into his Alma mater's hall of fame, as well as the MAC's hall of fame.

Coach Joe Novak is and will always be remembered as a Huskie legend. Even after his retirement from NIU in 2007, he was still an avid supporter of Huskie football. He would attend and be seen at various games. Truly and honestly, without Coach Joe, NIU would probably not now be a member of the MWC. He laid a solid foundation with which future NIU head coaches (Jerry Kill, Dave Doeren, and Rod Carey) would win a lot of games.

There has been a HUGE outpouring over social media and Chicago news and radio outlets.

https://niuhuskies.com/news/2026/7/30/fo...-away.aspx

Here is an excerpt from the above NIU public release.

Quote:DEKALB, Ill. – Legendary Northern Illinois University football head coach Joe Novak passed away on Tuesday (July 28) at the age of 81. Novak, who was inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, guided the NIU football program from 1996-2007, winning 63 games while turning around the fortunes of the Huskie football program. 

Novak led the Huskies to four MAC West Division Titles (2001, '02, '04, and '05) and was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year in 2002. He helped NIU earn national headlines in 2003 when the Huskies were ranked as high as No. 10 in the Bowl Championship Series standings.