For Novak, the clock is ticking

DEKALB -- In an idyllic gated community just off the Intercoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean, there's a home with Joe and Carole Novak's names on the deed.

The development features four championship golf courses, including ones designed by Jack Nicklaus and Hale Irwin, to test golfers with time on their hands.

And on the days when a retired fella doesn't feel like teeing it up, there's a marina four doors down from the Novaks' new dream home.

"I want to get a boat," Novak said. "That's my goal. We love the water."

As Novak talks of his paradise near the North Carolina-South Carolina border, his eyes squint as if he can see it on the horizon.

Which, of course, he can.

At age 62, entering his 12th year at Northern Illinois and his 40th year as a coach, Novak knows he doesn't want to do this much longer. He recently told the Aurora Beacon-News he'll retire no later than after the 2008 season.

"My big mouth," he said.

But Novak has a funny way of convincing himself to stick around. After all, it's his name figuratively stamped on the Northern Illinois program.

After inheriting a pile of ashes from Charlie Sadler in 1996, Novak has painstakingly built the Huskies into a program that has earned its sustained success. NIU has enjoyed seven consecutive winning seasons, which represents half of the school's above-.500 efforts since the Huskies jumped into the major-college ranks in 1969.

The fruits of Novak's labors can be seen throughout Huskie Stadium, particularly beyond the north end zone where the $14 million Yordon Center gleams.

After spending his first 11 years at NIU in a closet of an office with no windows, Novak possesses CEO-worthy digs in his Yordon Center second-story corner office. There are two big picture windows overlooking the field, an LCD TV hanging on the wall, even a private bathroom with a shower.

If that doesn't make him feel like he has ownership in NIU's future, the Novaks' names are attached to a first-floor wall for all to see. When Frances and the late George Wilkins donated funds for the Academic Support Center wing, they did so "in honor of Carole and Joe Novak."

Perhaps these are among the reasons why Novak can't set an official retirement date.

"As I sit here today, I don't see myself coaching more than two more years. But that's today," Novak said.

"Four years ago I was going to retire two years ago. They talked me into going four more, and I'm glad they did."

After this season, Novak and athletic director Jim Phillips will map out a plan.

There's a chance this could be his last year. With just 10 seniors, there are few scholarships to fill. If he left now, Novak believes the recruiting disruption would not affect the next coach as much.

Sometimes, the weary Novak fears he doesn't provide enough daily energy every team needs from its leader.

On the other hand, there are 13 juniors and five sophomores in NIU's projected starting lineup. That's a team that could provide a heck of a way to go out.

The Intercoastal Waterway is willing to wait to make Joe and Carole Novaks' acquaintance. But are they?