Mighty Big Game for NIU Tomorrow...Mighty Big One 30 Years Ago

Of course, the NIU game against Ball State tomorrow at 7 AM CST is going to be huge for the Huskies, probably their biggest-ever game. We'd really love to go to it, but at our age, sitting out in all that cold which came in yesterday, at night, just isn't a great idea.

I am reading my journal for 1983 and came across another really big game for Northern Illinois back on today's date in 1983 when we played the Toldeo Rockets, already back then, a long-term nemesis. I was at the game, which was played on a Saturday afternoon.

Here is what I wrote: "I went to probably the biggest-ever game in NIU history with the Toledo Rockets. A Northern loss would have kept us away from the California Bowl and insured Toledo another trip to it.

I met Jerry, his wife Nancy, and Kevin (Kevin and Jerry were high school friends at Palatine and went to NIU with me) at the Jungle. I then went to the Sharp Photocopying place in the Junction shopping area. They make copies for 3 cents but unfortunately they are closed on Saturdays. (I was going to make copies of my new deejay contract.)

The game was in progress when we got there but it didn't take NIU long to score. I jumped up and the bottle of schnaaps I had for warmth (and toasting) went flying out of my pocket and shattered on the stadium floor. What a waste!!

There was a placard section on the east side which spelled out "Tuck Foledo." Every so often they would interchange the F and T.

Big, Big, Big Victory!! Students took down a goal post and took it to the Lagoon in celebration."

This Was a Huge Win for Northern and we did end up going to the California Bowl Where I Believe We Played Fresno State, the Team We Are Now Competing With for a BCS Bowl Spot

--RoadDog