Recap of IHSA Championships Hosted at NIU

When Thanksgiving Weekend’s winter storm forced postponement of the Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) 5A-8A Football State Championship games at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal, NIU Athletics administrators contacted the IHSA and offered to host the 7A and 8A state title games at Huskie Stadium. With just a few short days to prepare for the championship games rescheduled for Wednesday, December 3, the DCCVB team stepped up to assist NIU with promotion of the event, snow removal of the Huskie Stadium stands, and recruitment of community volunteers to assist in event management. 

The DCCVB and NIU are no strangers to hosting state championship events, having partnered in hosting the IHSA Football State Championship series on odd years from 2013-2021. NIU has also been the long-time host of the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) State Wrestling finals, and the Convocation Center most recently hosted the Illinois Cheer Association (ICA) Final Fling and State Championship competitions over three weekends in November.  

The collective experience of our DCCVB community partners in hosting major sports tourism events paid off, as DeKalb County welcomed thousands of high school football fans, families, and participants from Chicagoland and the northern Illinois region to NIU to support their respective schools and patronize local businesses and attractions. 

Check out our events calendar here for more throughout DeKalb County!