1963 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

The 1963 Northern Illinois Huskies football team was an American football team that represented Northern Illinois University in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. In their eighth year under head coach Howard Fletcher, the Huskies compiled a perfect 10–0 record, won the IIAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 337 to 97. They appeared in the Mineral Water Bowl, defeating Southwest Missouri State. The team was recognized by the Associated Press as the 1963 small college national champion.^[1] However, the United Press International recognized Delaware as the small college champion. Northern Illinois played home games at the 5,500-seat Glidden Field, located on the east end of campus, in DeKalb, Illinois.

1963 Northern Illinois Huskies football
AP small college national champion IIAC champion
Mineral Water Bowl, W 21–14 vs. Southwest Missouri State
Conference	Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 1
Record	10–0 (4–0 IIAC)
Head coach	Howard Fletcher (8th season)
MVP	George Bork
Captain	Michael Henigan, George Bork
Home stadium	Glidden Field (capacity 5,500)
Seasons ← 1962 1964 →

1963 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Northern Illinois $	4	–	0	–	0			10	–	0	–	0
Western Illinois	3	–	1	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Central Michigan	2	–	2	–	0			4	–	5	–	1
Eastern Illinois	1	–	3	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Illinois State Normal	0	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll

Senior quarterback George Bork broke several national passing records, including single-season records for passing yardage (3,077), passing touchdowns (32), passes attempted (374), and completions (244). He also set single-game records for passes attempted (67), completions (43), and passing touchdowns (7). He was voted the team's most valuable player for the second consecutive year.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	Whitewater State*		Glidden Field DeKalb, IL	W 55–7	6,000	^[3]
September 21	at Winona State*		Maxwell Field Winona, MN	W 61–0	4,000	^[4]
September 28	at Northeast Missouri State*		Stokes Stadium Kirksville, MO	W 21–12	6,800	^[5]
October 5	Omaha*		Glidden Field DeKalb, IL	W 18–7	9,007	^[6]
October 12	Hillsdale*		Glidden Field DeKalb, IL	W 19–13	9,103	^[7]
October 19	Illinois State Normal	No. 1	Glidden Field DeKalb, IL	W 43–0	9,767	^[8]
October 26	at Eastern Illinois	No. 1	Lincoln Field Charleston, IL	W 43–0	6,803	^[9]
November 2	Western Illinois	No. 1	Glidden Field DeKalb, IL	W 29–22	10,177	^[10]
November 9	at Central Michigan	No. 1	Mount Pleasant, MI	W 27–22	11,000–11,164	^[11]^[12]
November 30	vs. Southwest Missouri State*	No. 1	Roosevelt Field Excelsior Springs, MO (Mineral Water Bowl)	W 21–14	6,500	^[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[14]

References

1. "Northern Illinois Is Small College Champ". The Clarion-Ledger. Associated Press. November 30, 1963. p. 18. Retrieved October 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "George Bork Voted Most Valuable Player At Northern Illinois". The DeKalb Daily Chronicle. November 15, 1963. p. 18. Retrieved October 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Beard, Curt (September 16, 1963). "Bork Breaks Pass Record". The DeKalb Daily Chronicle. p. 12. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Bork Pitches 5 Touchdowns In 60 To 0 Rout". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. September 22, 1963. p. 2:3. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Bork Shatters Pass Record - Beats Kirksville". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 29, 1963. p. 4E. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Passing Parade: Bork Pitches Northern Illinois Over Omaha, 18-7". Decatur Herald. Associated Press. October 7, 1963. p. 10. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Northern Illinois Edges Hillsdale". The Miami News. Associated Press. October 13, 1963. p. 3C. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Bork's Bombs Destroy Redbirds, 43-0". The Pantagraph. October 20, 1963. p. 13. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Huskies Host Western In Showdown For Interstate's Top Step: Make Eastern Easy Victim". The DeKalb Daily Chronicle. October 28, 1963. p. 12. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Beard, Curt (November 4, 1963). "NIU Survives Scare By WIU". The DeKalb Daily Chronicle. p. 12. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Bork Smashes Record Books". Petoskey News-Review. United Press International. November 11, 1963. p. 8. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
13. "Bork Sparks Illinois To Spa Bowl Victory". The Salina Journal. Associated Press. December 1, 1963. p. 17. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 12, 2022.