1983 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

1983 Northern Illinois Huskies football
1983 Northern Illinois Huskies football
MAC champion; California Bowl champion
California Bowl, W 20–13 vs. Cal State Fullerton
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	10–2 (8–1 MAC)
Head coach	Bill Mallory (4th season);
Defensive coordinator	Joe Novak (4th season)
MVP	Tim Tyrrell
Captain	Scott Bolzan, Steve Hirsch, Jim Mukite
Home stadium	Huskie Stadium
	Seasons ← 1982 1984 →

The 1983 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Bill Mallory in his fourth and final season as head coach, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 8–1 in conference play, winning he MAC title. Northern Illinois was invited to the California Bowl, where they beat played Cal State Fullerton. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.

The Huskies won their conference championship since 1965, since the 1965 team won the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) title during the final years of the conference's existence. The Huskies' trip to the California Bowl was also their first bowl game since 1965 and first bowl win since the 1963 team won the Mineral Water Bowl and was ranked atop the AP small college football rankings.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	at Kansas*	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 37–34	26,000
September 10	at Wisconsin*	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	L 9–37	56,941
September 24	at Kent State	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	W 38–7
October 1	at Ball State	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN (rivalry)	W 27–14
October 8	Western Michigan	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	W 27–3	26,250
October 15	at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	W 34–15
October 22	Bowling Green	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	W 24–23
October 29	at Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium Oxford, OH	W 17–0	27,866
November 5	at Central Michigan	Perry Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	L 14–30
November 12	Toledo	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	W 26–10	27,700
November 19	Ohio	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	W 41–17
December 17	vs. Cal State Fullerton*	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (California Bowl)	W 20–13	20,464	^[1]
*Non-conference game