Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, IL

Basic Information

Stadium: Huskie Stadium

Location: DeKalb, IL (41.93391, -88.77780)

Owner: Northern Illinois University

Primary sport: football

Year constructed: 1965

Listed capacity: 28,211

Date last visited: October 2025

Stadium information: https://niuhuskies.com/facilities/huskie-stadium/6

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

I had read some negative reviews of this stadium, and sure enough as I walked toward the stadium from the east it appeared as a huge soulless, charmless hunk of metal.  But after I scanned my ticket, bought my hot dogs, and climbed the stairs through the portal to view the stands and the field, a whole different world emerged.  The stands are reasonably close to the field, and the field is several feet below the 1st row of stands.  Thus, the view of the field is excellent.  Northern Illinois has one of the larger and louder fan bases among non-power conference teams, and they make for an energetic gameday atmosphere.  Pedestrian and vehicle traffic flow quite well.  Overall, I enjoyed watching a game here.  Rynearson Stadium at Eastern Michigan and "The Doyt" at Bowling Green are 2 similar-sized stadiums built in the same era in this same part of the country, and I would much rather watch a game here than at either of those.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: Northern Illinois has a rather large and loud fan base for a non-power conference team.  They also have strong spirit squads, and they do a good job of keeping the fans engaged.

Seating: mostly bench seating with curved seats for more comfortable seating.

Field View: The stands are gradually sloped, but the playing surface is depressed beneath the 1st row of stands.  I sat about 20 rows up and could see the field rather well.

Audio/Video: All stadium speakers are in the south end, but the audio is plenty loud and clear.  The video board is smaller, but they also have ribbon boards, which is a rare feature for a stadium this small.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: The hot dogs are plump and barely/mildly seasoned.  The hot dogs are pricey, so I was hoping they would be Chicago-style hot dogs, which they are not.  The concessions serve mostly standard stadium fare, but a few booths offer more specialized options.

Pedestrian Flow: Not 1, not 2, but 3 levels of portals give access to the home stands.  They also have portals on the visitor side of the field, so pedestrian traffic flows well.

Parking: There is plenty of parking, mostly paid.  The bargain deal is the Visitor Pay Lot: no payment is required on weekends and evenings as of this writing.  The Visitor Pay Lot is less than a mile from the stadium, and I highly recommend it for cheapskates like me.