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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to honor the 1963 Northern Illinois
4University football team on the occasion of the 50th
5anniversary of the team's Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic
6Conference championship and NCAA College Division National
7Championship; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The 1963 Northern Illinois University football
9team brought national attention to Northern Illinois
10University and the DeKalb community with a 10-0-0 season and
11recognition as the NCAA's College Division National Champions;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, The accomplishments of the 1963 Huskies helped
14provide the building blocks for a new football stadium on
15campus, NCAA University Division status, affiliation with the
16Mid-American Conference, and the success the Northern Illinois
17University football program enjoys today; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The 1963 Huskies revolutionized the passing game
19in college football with a wide-open shotgun offense; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Northern Illinois University senior quarterback
21George Bork became the first player in the history of college

 

 

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1football to compile 3,000 passing yards in a single season and
2rewrote the Northern Illinois University and NCAA record books;
3in 1999, Bork became the first Huskie inducted into the College
4Football Hall of Fame; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The 1963 Huskies featured a strong defense that
6held opponents to less than 10 points per game and outscored
7their opponents by 24 points per game; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Northern Illinois University quarterback George
9Bork, receivers Hugh Rohrschneider and Gary Stearns, and center
10Robert Evans all received Little All-America honors; a record
1111 players were named All-Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic
12Conference performers; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The 1963 Huskies are and will continue to be
14remembered at Northern Illinois University by the National
15Championship flag erected in 2011 and a bronze plague dedicated
16on October 12, 2012; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Winning a National Championship takes dedication
18from all members of the team; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The men who made up the 1963 Northern Illinois
20University football team are to be commended for their unity
21and team strength; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The 1963 Huskie players included Jerry Andres, Joe
2Bertone, George Bork, Dave Broderick, John Broderick, Richard
3Calkins, David Casey, Ron Christian, David Cudden, Jack Dean,
4Robert Evans, Jeff Fort, Jack Frost, John Haar, Dennis
5Harrison, Mike Henigan, Terry Henigan, David Herstedt, David
6Hildebrandt, Ed Janoski, Herb Jennings, Robert Johnson, Robert
7Kerby, Jerry Kerner, Lynn McCann, Neal McDonald, Daniel Meyer,
8Jim Modglin, Dave Mulderink, Robert Owens, William Pelkey, Hugh
9Rohrschneider, Jack Secord, Ken Slimko, Roger Smith, Roger
10Stark, Gary Stearns, Arny Vesely, Stan Vesely, Tom Walz, and
11Charles Wood; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The Huskies were led by innovative Head Coach
13Howard Fletcher; the assistant coaches were Dr. Robert Brigham,
14Dr. Mark Dean, Jack Pheanis, and John Wrenn; the trainer was Al
15Kranz; and the managers were Tom Bloom, Tom Dahlfors, and
16Robert Kapheim; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19we commend and applaud the members of the 1963 Northern
20Illinois University football team on the occasion of the 50th
21anniversary of their national championship; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to each surviving member of the 1963 Northern
2Illinois University football team.