Huskie Stadium
| "The House That Bork Built" | |
 |
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| Full name | Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | 1245 Stadium Drive South DeKalb, IL 60115 |
| Coordinates | 41°56′2″N 88°46′40″W / 41.93389°N 88.77778°WCoordinates: 41°56′2″N 88°46′40″W / 41.93389°N 88.77778°W |
| Owner | Northern Illinois University |
| Operator | Northern Illinois University |
| Capacity | 45,995 (2016–present) 28,000 (2003–2006) 31,000 (1995–2002) 30,998 (1982–1994) 20,257 (1965–1981) |
| Surface | Natural grass 1965 to 1968 Astroturf 1969 to 2000 FieldTurf 2001 to present |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 30, 1964 |
| Opened | November 6, 1965 |
| Expanded | 1982, 1995, 2016 |
| Construction cost | $2,265,172 (original) ($17.2 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Holabird & Root, Chicago (West) HOK Sport (East expansion) |
| General contractor | Peterson-Roberts Construction |
| Tenants | |
|
NIU Huskies (NCAA) (1965-present) IHSA Football Playoffs (2013-odd years thru 2019) |
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Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois, is the home field of the NIU Huskies. It opened in 1965 and is primarily used for American football.
Huskie Stadium is on the west end of the campus, bordered by Stadium Drive to the south, the Yordon Athletic Center to the north, Mary Bell Field to the east, and Ralph McKinzie Field to the west.
Before the 1965 college football season, the Huskies played at Glidden Field, a 5,500-seat facility on the east end of campus. However, after quarterback George Bork lead them to an AP Small College National Championship in 1963, they began the construction of Huskie Stadium. Marred by construction setbacks that put the opening day two months behind schedule, the stadium played host to its first official NIU football game on November 6, 1965, when the Huskies defeated the Illinois State Redbirds, 48-6.
On September 20, 1969, the game between NIU and Idaho marked the state's first major-college gridiron contest played on artificial turf; the Huskies won, 47–30. The field was re-carpeted in 1980 and 1990 before being replaced by a new FieldTurf surface in 2001. The stadium originally consisted of the main concrete west stands (which used to contain practice facilities for the gymnastics and wrestling teams) and much smaller temporary stands on the east side. The east side was completely redone in 1995, creating a steel structure to mirror the concrete one. The university has maintained and enhanced the institution's all-around athletics facility, updating the scoreboard and video display system in both 2000 and 2001, and creating the South End Zone berm in 2002. In 2003, the field was renamed Brigham Field in honor of Robert J. Brigham, a former player, coach, and athletic director at the school.
The stadium was also the site of a few NCAA records. On October 6, 1990, against Fresno State, quarterback Stacey Robinson rushed for 287 yards (262 m) in the 1st half, and finished with 308 overall, as the Huskies upset then-24th ranked Bulldogs, by a final score of 73–18. In that game, the Huskies established school records for rushing yards(733), total offense (806), and First Downs (36). It was also the first victory over a ranked opponent at the stadium. Additionally, on November 26, 2013, Jordan Lynch rushed for 321 yards, setting an NCAA FBS record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback.
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