College football Hall of Famer and suburban legend George Bork dies at 84
One of the best athletes in the history of the Northwest suburbs and Northern Illinois University, George Bork, died Wednesday at age 84, the university announced.
An Arlington High School graduate from Mount Prospect, Bork played football and basketball at NIU in the early 1960s. He was the first quarterback in NCAA history to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season while setting at least 16 national records.
Bork still holds numerous NIU passing records, including career completion percentage (64%), single-season touchdown passes (32 in 1963), single-game completions (43) and single-game touchdowns (7). He received votes for the Heisman Trophy in 1963.
On the court, Bork scored more than 1,000 points for the Huskies.
“George Bork's legacy in Northern Illinois football is immeasurable,” said retired longtime NIU sports information director Michael Korcek. “I'd rank him as the greatest and most impactful NIU student of the 20th century. Because of that 1963 team and George, NIU sought University Division (FBS) status (as past College Division champions Ohio University and Bowling Green State did earlier in the 1960s) and affiliation with a major-college conference.
“To gain that status, NIU could not play football in antiquated Glidden Field. Sixty days after the 1963 Mineral Water Bowl triumph, ground was broken for the new west campus stadium (officially named Huskie Stadium in 1974), but immediately nicknamed 'The House That Bork Built.' Without that FBS status, would there have been a Cal Bowl victory in 1983, the Orange Bowl appearance in 2013, or the game at Notre Dame in 2024? Think about it.”
Bork was named to NIU’s all-century team in both sports and was inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1983. The school retired his No. 11 jersey in 1996, and he went into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
Bork played in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes from 1964-67.
The National Football Foundation also recognized Bork’s contributions to the game.
“George Bork helped revolutionize the passing game in the early 1960s,” NFF Chairman Archie Manning said in a news release. “More than six decades after leading the Huskies to an undefeated season and a national championship, Bork remains one of the most influential figures in Northern Illinois history and one of the true pioneers of the modern passing game.
“As one of our sport's all-time greats, we are deeply saddened to hear of his passing and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and the entire Huskie community.”