Featured in this batch of fun facts: NIU once had a zoo, the original school colors were white and yellow, and it’s the home of Academy Award winning director Robert Zemeckis and San Francisco 49er’s safety Jimmie Ward!
NIU HISTORY
When Northern Illinois University first opened in 1899, it was a two-year college specifically for the training of teachers known as the Northern Illinois State Normal School.
There were only 16 people in the first graduating class of the Northern Illinois State Normal School. 13 women and 3 men received their teaching degrees in 1900.
The official school colors for Northern Illinois State Normal School were originally yellow and white. Eventually they switched to red and black which were easier to see on the football field.
NIU once had a zoo! That’s right – Biology Professor Fred Charles built the zoo behind Altgeld Hall in the early 1900s to house animals he used in his teaching. A bear, fox, raccoons, coyotes and all kinds of native creatures lived there during Northern’s first decade.
NIU CAMPUS
There are 118 buildings on the NIU campus. They range from housing to specialized labs, rec centers to high tech classrooms, playing fields to libraries.
NIU is home to 44 social fraternities and sororities. There are more than 1,600 members in the Greek community.
There are over 300 student organizations that are registered with the NIU Student Association.
Each year, NIU hosts a day of service in the community called NIU Cares Day. NIU students, faculty, staff and alumni come together to complete projects that benefit DeKalb County’s not-for-profit organizations and community agencies as a way of thanking the community for their support of the institution and its mission. (It is on April 18th this year)
NIU ALUMNI
San Francisco 49er’s safety Jimmie Ward is an NIU alum! He played for the Huskies from 2010 – 2013. In his first year, he was named the Huskies Special Teams Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Jimmie played in the 54th Super Bowl!
Academy Award winning director Robert Zemeckis attended NIU before enrolling in film study at University of Southern California. Zemeckis has directed Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, The Polar Express and more! While filming Forrest Gump, Zemeckis sent set designers to NIU so Forrest’s college dorm room would look like the one Zemeckis lived in at Stevenson Hall.