Hello Huskies!
It’s a new year, the Fall 2022 semester is underway and the NIU campus has come to life! As NIU President Lisa Freeman said earlier this week in her annual address to the staff, for the first time in a while, it feels “normal”.
Behind an amazing and resilient group of student-athletes, a hard-working and dedicated staff and the support of our donors, fans and university administration, Huskie Athletics enjoyed a banner year in 2021-22. Academically, athletically and socially, our teams excelled. None of it could have been accomplished without the commitment of our donors and fans. Thanks to you, we saw facility projects completed and fundraising records broken. As you can see from the list below, not only did we make large jumps compared to last year, we also achieved all-time highs in multiple areas.
- Department Revenue: $7,090,723 million – NEW RECORD
- 88% increase (+$3,322,460) from 2020-21
- Huskie Athletic Fund
- 77% increase (+$1,153,694) from 2020-21
- Unrestricted Annual Fund – NEW RECORD
- 143% increase (+$366,997.50) from 2020-21
- Sports Specific Gifts – NEW RECORD
- 41% increase (+$224,203.60) from 2020-21
- Huskies Invest (not included in Huskie Athletic Fund total): $1,013,725 – NEW RECORD
- 60% increase (+$381,307) from 2020-21
- Premium Seat Sales
- 94% increase (+$159,490) from 2020-21
Of course, the most significant of these is the record $7.09 million in total department revenue, which includes donations, gift-in-kind and income from premium area sales, as well as game guarantees, licensing and external agreements, but does not include ticket sales. We also saw a 14 percent increase in number of donors, so thank you to our new donors, as well as those who have been with us over the years. We appreciate all of you!
On the facility front, several projects were completed over the summer – all with a focus on student-athlete development. Most recently, a new turf field was installed at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex, just in time for the first match of the season tomorrow (Aug. 26). The Huskie Basketball and Volleyball teams, meanwhile, now have a sports performance area right in the NIU Convocation Center for the first time. In addition, work has begun on the first phase of Walt and Janice Owens Park, as turf is being laid in the infield of Ralph McKinzie Field. Victor E. Court and the main arena of the Convo now have LED lighting, providing not only brighter playing surfaces but also the ability to turn off the lights for more dramatic team entrances.
As mentioned in the last Frazier’s Corner one of the most impactful ways we can assist our student-athletes is through supporting not just their physical, but their mental health. With the addition of Dr. Shyann Beach as director of athletics counseling, we have made a major step forward in enhancing mental health services available to student-athletes.
Another way we are setting NIU student-athletes up for success is through supporting their efforts to monetize their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), which is now permitted under both NCAA rules and Illinois state law. In fact, we are inviting all local businesses, charities and organizations to a NIL Education Summit this afternoon (Thursday, August 25) at 3:30 p.m. at Whiskey Acres (11504 Keslinger Rd., DeKalb) to learn more about how these partnerships can benefit both sides.
Following the NIL Education Summit, all Huskie fans are invited to the End of Summer Circuit at Whiskey Acres beginning at 5 p.m. Meet and hear from the NIU head coaches and athletics administrators, pick up fall sports schedule cards and posters and even purchase season tickets. The End of Summer Circuit and the NIL Education Summit are free events.
I’d also love to see you at the Inside Huskie Football Radio Show this season. The show returns to Fatty’s Pub & Grille this year and can be heard LIVE on our new radio home, 94-9 WDKB and on The Varsity Network app. With a Thursday night home opener, the first show will be next Tuesday, August 30 at 1 p.m., before moving to Thursdays at 1 p.m. through October.
NIU fall sports seasons are already underway with new women’s soccer head coach Michael O’Neill picking up his first win as a Huskie with his team’s 1-0 win at Eastern Kentucky last week. They return home to play the first games on the new Soccer and Track & Field turf this Friday and Sunday, while the 2021 MAC Champion men’s soccer team opens the season on the road with two matches in California. Catch the NIU volleyball team in its season opening tournament in Victor E. Court this weekend with matches on Friday and Saturday. See all the schedules here or download the NIU Huskies app.
Speaking of schedules, check out the 2022-23 Huskie Basketball schedules released yesterday (link, link) and make plans now to get your season tickets (link). Rashon Burno added seven newcomers to a solid nucleus of returners and will play another challenging non-conference slate, while Lisa Carlsen and the Huskies, including standouts Chelby Koker and A’Jah Davis, welcome DePaul to the Convo for the first time since 2008 after opening the season at Notre Dame.
Before we get to basketball, let’s pack Huskie Stadium on September 1 and all season long for the defending MAC Champions and preseason MAC favorites! Based on the intensity and level of competition I saw during preseason camp, this team is not about to get complacent. I cannot wait to see them in action next Thursday.
I hope your calendars are marked and tickets purchased (link) for the next two home games as well. Vanderbilt comes to DeKalb on September 17 as we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of NIU’s history-making Orange Bowl team with just our second home game ever versus a SEC opponent. Then, we have three major events going on around the October 8 game versus Toledo. Of course, it is NIU’s 115th Homecoming; it is also Hall of Fame Weekend, with a double class of greats set to be inducted; also, women from throughout NIU’s athletics history, including members of the “50 Greats” announced earlier this year, will come together to help us mark the 50th Anniversary of Title IX.
If you haven’t been to campus or DeKalb in a while, check out the banners, street signs and more throughout the area which make it clear you are in Huskie country. These branding efforts are the result of a collaboration between the city of DeKalb, athletics and university marketing and communications and include new banners on the light poles and Huskie logos on the street signs. The windows of the empty building on the corner of Lincoln Highway and Annie Glidden have been wrapped in red and black and now welcome drivers to Huskie Nation.
Finally, I want to officially welcome our new Faculty Athletics Representative, Dr. M. Courtney Hughes, to her new position with NIU Athletics. A former student-athlete at Notre Dame who is an associate professor of public health in the College of Health and Human Services, Dr. Hughes will advocate for student-athletes on campus while working closely with our academic staff to ensure the academic integrity of our program and representing President Freeman at the MAC and NCAA levels.
As you can tell, we are off and running full speed ahead into 2022-23!
See you at the games and Go Huskies!
Sean T. Frazier
Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation