Faulkner, Kane join NIU football staff

A pair of coaches from Wisconsin and Ball State will joined Northern Illinois head coach Dave Doeren as offensive assistants on his football staff, NIU announced Tuesday.

Eddie Faulkner, who has spent the last six seasons coaching running backs at Ball State and served as the Cardinals' offensive coordinator for the past two years, will tutor the Northern Illinois tailbacks. Kevin Kane, a member of the football staff at Wisconsin for the past three seasons, will coach the NIU tight ends and fullbacks.

“Eddie Faulkner is a proven winner both as a player and coach,” Doeren said. “He has up close and personal knowledge of the running back position and the Mid-American Conference.”

Faulkner has coached the running backs at Ball State since 2005 and has been the Cardinals' offensive coordinator for the last two seasons. Under his direction, tailback MiQuale Lewis set the Ball State single-season rushing record during the Cardinals' undefeated Mid-American Conference regular season campaign in 2008.

Faulkner was a four-year letterwinner at tailback for the University of Wisconsin and helped the Badgers to two Big Ten Championships and five bowl games during his playing career.

“I'm very excited,” Faulkner said. “Coach Doeren comes from the program I played for at Wisconsin, so I know how they play football there. From facing Northern Illinois since I have been at Ball State, I know the kind of football they play at NIU and I have always respected how they played, going back to Coach Novak and more recently with Coach Kill.”

Kane comes to NIU after three seasons on the football staff at the University of Wisconsin. An All-Big 12 Conference linebacker for Doeren at the University of Kansas from 2002-05, Kane was a graduate assistant at Wisconsin for the 2008 and 2009 seasons before serving as the Quality Control Assistant for the UW defense in 2010.

“Kevin is a rising star in the coaching profession,” Doeren said. “He has a great mind for the game and his passion and competitive spirit are contagious. He is a winner in every sense of the word. In addition to working with the tight ends and fullbacks, he will be very involved with our special teams.”

As a player, Kane earned honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades from the Associated Press following both his junior and senior seasons and was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree. He won KU's Nolan Cromwell Award for Leadership following his junior year and served as a team captain as a senior.

Faulkner and Kane will serve on the Huskies' offensive staff with coordinator Matt Canada.