Eric Roy, a member of the Northern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 1999, passed away last week at the age of 83.

Roy was a two-sport athlete at NIU, earning three letters in soccer (1967-69) and three letters in wrestling (1966-69). A prolific center forward on the Huskie soccer team, Roy scored the first hat trick in program history on Nov. 4, 1967, against Illinois and would go on to record five more during his Huskie career, earning Roy the nickname “Mr. Hat Trick.”

In his three seasons at NIU, Roy finished with a then-school record 95 career points, which still ranks fourth in NIU men’s soccer history. His 43 goals were also a school record and remains the third-highest total in Huskie men’s soccer history. Roy’s 16 goals during the 1968 season are tied for the third-best single-season mark in program history while his 15 goals in 1969 are tied for fifth-best at NIU.

Selected as the NIU men’s soccer team MVP in 1967 and 1968, Roy helped the Huskies to a combined record of 22-3 during his three seasons on the soccer field.

In addition to his exploits on the soccer field, Roy earned three letters while wrestling at 191 pounds and heavyweight.

Roy graduated from NIU in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. In 1971, Roy started the boys soccer program at Willowbrook High School, guided the program to the state finals in 1975 and would later become the school’s principal. Roy would go on to become the athletic director at Leyden High School, where he also served as the boys soccer coach until 2004. He amassed a career record of 245-92-16 coaching soccer at the high school level.

Roy is the brother of former fellow NIU Athletics Hall of Famer and former NIU men’s soccer head coach Willy Roy Sr., who guided the Huskies from 1987-2002, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with his sons, Eric Roy’s nephews, Willy Jr., Kartsen and Markus, in 2011.