Many people have heard about Homecoming before, as it is a tradition that most colleges have. What makes NIU's Homecoming different is that we have been celebrating it for 117 years now! This means NIU has had the longest Homecoming tradition celebrated in Illinois. The tradition dates back to 1899, when it originated as a simple parade celebrating the foundation of NIU. The way we celebrate Homecoming has changed over time-- today, we don't just celebrate NIU's creation but all the ways the University has grown and evolved throughout the years.
One major change is the format of the football game at the heart of Homecoming. The first ever NIU Homecoming football game ocured in 1903 and was held with current students going against Alumni. This style of the football games continued until 1913, when the outbreak of WWI meant no games were held for two years. The first glance of the Homecoming football games we all know and love started in 1915 where we played against North Central after the war.
It was during the year 1906 where these activities were given the name "Home coming" by a Northern Illinois reporter in issue Vol. 8 No. 2 of the Northern Star. The article was titled "The Coming of the Alumni" and read: "The second week in october proved to be a joyful “homecoming” of a large number of our alumni. On Friday they began to gather in and made themselves evident at the faculty reception that evening.”
Lois Goetz was crowned NIU's first ever Homecoming Queen in 1947. George Petty, creator of “Petty Girl”, and his friend Curt Lulias were the judges for picking NIU’s Homecoming Queen at the time. However, George's daughter and assistant for “Petty Girl”, Marge Petty, picked Goetz from among the Town Girls. No reason as to why she was picked that year was written in the newspaper issue at the time. In 1950 the Homecoming court was picked by the student body. Eight men’s organizations have been designated by the committee to present eight women candidates for queen and the same for the ladies. The candidates must be in their junior or senior year of NI, and other organizations were in charge of overseeing the election. Irma Heinemann (the Industrial Arts) and George Acker (Alpha Sigma Alpha) were courted the first Homecoming Royalty at NIU.
Although many things have changed over those years, one thing has stayed the same: the Huskie Spirit that alumni and students feel during the aproach of Homecoming. As you go through the exhibit, you will be able to see how Homecoming was celebrated throughout the decades. From the parades to the tailgates and finally to the football games, you will see how it grew from a small alumni vs. students game to what we experience now.
-- Jamie Yaman, Curator, NIU Class of 2025
