Huskie Stadium, officially Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium, sits on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. It opened on November 6, 1965, with NIU beating Illinois State 48-6, and has served ever since as the home field for Northern Illinois Huskies football. The stadium now holds about 23,595 fans, a figure reduced from a one-time peak of roughly 31,000 after the Yordon Athletic Center was built into the north end zone in 2007.
The stadium’s origin is tied directly to one player: quarterback George Bork, whose standout play helped lead NIU to a 10-0 record and an AP small-college national championship in 1963. Sports writers of the era dubbed the new facility “the house that Bork built,” a nickname that has stuck with the stadium for six decades.
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Northern Illinois Huskies (NCAA Division I FBS)
- Location: DeKalb, Illinois
- Opened: November 6, 1965
- Capacity: About 23,595
- Surface: AstroTurf (natural grass until 1968)
- Nickname: “The House That Bork Built”
Six Decades of Huskie Football
Huskie Stadium opened in 1965 on natural grass before NIU switched to AstroTurf in 1969, one of the earliest college venues in Illinois to make the move. The playing surface was later updated to FieldTurf in 2001 and replaced again with a new AstroTurf system in 2024. On the seating side, capacity actually shrank over time: the 2007 opening of the Yordon Athletic Center, a $14 million academic and training complex built into the north end zone, cut the stadium’s footprint down from around 31,000 seats to its current 23,595.
Beyond NIU football, the stadium has hosted Illinois high school playoff games over the years, giving it a role in the local football community beyond the college game.
Records on the Field
The stadium’s largest recorded crowd came on October 18, 2003, when 28,221 fans packed in for a game against Western Michigan, back when the seating bowl was still at its pre-Yordon Center size and capacity ran well above today’s 23,595. A decade later, on November 26, 2013, quarterback Jordan Lynch rushed for 321 yards there in a win over Western Michigan, setting the NCAA FBS single-game rushing record for a quarterback and capping NIU’s first 12-0 regular season in 50 years.
That blend of a record crowd and a record rushing performance has made Huskie Stadium a recurring stop in NCAA record books, even as it remains a modestly sized Mid-American Conference venue by national standards.
Explore more: Explore more college football stadiums.
Sherpa-lined and windproof, with a waterproof back for wet bleachers. Folds into its own pouch.
For late-season football, outdoor hockey and October park nights. Shake, pocket, and stay warm for hours.
12 x 10.5 x 6 in. — built to the common stadium clear-bag size. Check your venue's rules.
Huskie Stadium FAQs
How many people does Huskie Stadium hold?
Huskie Stadium’s current capacity is about 23,595, a number reduced from roughly 31,000 after the Yordon Athletic Center was added to the north end zone in 2007.
Why is Huskie Stadium called ‘the house that Bork built’?
The nickname honors quarterback George Bork, whose standout play and NIU’s 1963 national championship run helped spur construction of the new stadium, which opened in 1965.
Who plays at Huskie Stadium?
Huskie Stadium is the home field of Northern Illinois Huskies football, an NCAA Division I FBS program that competes in the Mid-American Conference.
Get More from Huskie Stadium
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Huskie Stadium, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: Kingfish60559 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.