O’Donnell: Novak happy to cheer, cheer for Hammock and old NIU
HAPPILY MILES FROM NOWHERE, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina, Joe Novak gradually found himself misting up at some programming on NBC late Saturday afternoon.
“I couldn't help myself,” the once and forever savior of contemporary football at Northern Illinois said. “Too much came back to me so quickly. I was once 3-33 with that program and should have been fired. And there they were, Thomas Hammock and his Huskies, beating Notre Dame in South Bend.”
There they sure were. Red, black and white and about to be hailed all over. Cheer, cheer for old NIU — 16-14 victors on quite possibly the most storied pitch of emerald turf in the game.
It was Hammock's moment, along with game stars like precision-driven QB Ethan Hampton and field goal-blocking neutralizer Cade Haberman and churn-away running back Antario Brown.
But it was Novak's foundation and culture that paved the path up to getting over the great shamrock wall.
“It's touching to hear that, but I'm so far removed from it all,” said Novak, who retired in 2007 after 12 seasons as head coach. “That game so much belongs to Thomas and his kids and his staff.”
IN LAS VEGAS, THEY'VE BEEN CALLING NIU's stunning takedown of the No. 5 Irish “monumental.”
That's because the public went overboard on ND. The Huskies were getting 28 points but were also an eye-popping +2,000 on the money-line. That means a $100 bet returned $2,000 and that legal books were begging for wagers on NIU.
“The best word I can think of is 'awesome,'” said Mark Lindo, who worked color alongside play-by-play man Andy Garcia and sideline reporter Terry Bonadonna on The Huskie Sports Radio Network.
“When Joe was coach and got the program rolling, we won at Alabama and beat No. 13 Maryland and then Iowa State back in (2003). Then Dave Doeren took us to the Orange Bowl in '13. And Jordan Lynch was a Heisman (Trophy) finalist a year later.
“But this? What can compare?”
HAMMOCK WENT FROM Mid-American Conference coach-in-the-crowd Saturday morning to toast of college football — at least outside the greater South Bend-Mishawaka area — by dusk.
Monday morning, he was the first guest on Dan Patrick's smart sports talk show. There he spoke of receiving hundreds of texts since the final whistle at Notre Dame Stadium, none more important to him than one Sunday from New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
“Hey, I started out in Jersey City and will always be a Jersey City guy, so that one really floored me,” Hammock said. “But there were a whole lot of others that also meant so much.”
NOVAK RECALLED THE COMBINATION of luck and sales spin that first brought Hammock to NIU — and the abrupt shocker that ended his playing career:
“By Thomas' senior year in high school, he was a very good running back and linebacker. Given our budget and realities, we recruited Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and the St. Louis area very hard. He was at Bishop Luers in Fort Wayne.
“I was told his decision came down to either us or Kentucky. But Kentucky saw him as a linebacker. He told me he wanted to be a running back in college. I told him come to Northern and he'd be what he wanted to be.”
FOR TWO SEASONS, HAMMOCK was sensational. In 2002, he opened his third campaign by gaining 172 yards during a 42-41 OT victory against Wake Forest.
But he also took a hard hit in overtime and complained of abnormal discomfort after the game.
“So we had him at a hospital in Chicago that following Sunday afternoon,” Novak said. “Then I got a shocking call. I was told he had a heart murmur and that his playing career was over, done immediately. Now it's a tribute to all he is as a person with what he's achieved as a coach and leader.”
COACH HAMMOCK AND COACH NOVAK will be reunited Sept. 28 when the Huskies — now 2-0 and No. 25 in the latest AP poll — play at North Carolina State.
“I think that's an interesting date for Northern fans because Dave Doeren is coach there and it'll be quite a test to see how Thomas keeps his team focused after their day at Notre Dame,” Novak said.
“I've told Thomas winning that game was a landmark date in the history of Northern Illinois. But now his coaching has to go beyond the X's and O's. How do they handle that sort of success and move forward?”
FOR NOVAK AND WIFE CAROL, the triple reunion in Raleigh comes with perks.
“We have a suite at the stadium, Dave has also arranged for great parking and it's only a 160-mile drive from our house,” the NIU icon — now age 79 — said.
“So I'll have to keep my Huskies red-and-black somewhat under control.”
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.