June 6, 2012

DeKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois head football coach Dave Doeren invites Huskie fans to join him and members of his coaching staff at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark in Geneva on Thursday, July 26, as the Kane County Cougars, the Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, take on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

Doeren and his assistant coaches will visit with fans and talk Huskie Football while enjoying the game, food and drink from the comforts of the Hyundai Deck above the first base line. A limited number of tickets are available for this event for $75 each with proceeds directly benefitting the NIU football program.

The Huskies' second year head coach will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game, which gets underway at 6:30 p.m., with gates open at 5:30 p.m. The stadium is located just south of the intersection of Rt. 38 and Kirk Rd. in Geneva, Ill.

In addition to Doeren's pregame appearance, it is 90's Night. There will be a pre-game concert by 9D Rox and a post-game fireworks show featuring music from the decade.

"I hope a lot of Huskie fans will join us at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark in Geneva on July 26th," Doeren said. "It's a great way to support Northern Illinois football while enjoying a terrific minor league baseball experience right in our backyard. Our staff is looking forward to a fun night at the ballpark."

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the HASF office at (815) 753-1923 or via email at huskieathleticsupportfund@niu.edu.

After winning its final nine games of the season, including the Mid-American Conference Championship and GoDaddy.com Bowl, NIU takes the nation's longest Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) winning streak into the 2012 season-opener when the Huskies play host to Iowa at Chicago's Soldier Field on Sept. 1. Tickets to Soldier Field Showdown III are now on sale through Ticketmaster by calling 1-800-745-3000, or online at www.Ticketmaster.com.

Northern Illinois 2012 football season tickets are on sale through the NIU Athletics External Office at 815-753-1923 or online at www.NIUHuskies.com for just $120 for the full six-game Huskie Stadium season. Mini-plans, featuring any three Huskie Stadium games, can be purchased for $60, while NIU's new HuskieLand Plan provides a ticket to the season-opener versus Tennessee-Martin (Sept. 8), the Kansas game (Sept. 22) and the MAC West rivalry game versus Toledo (Nov. 14) along with $45 in gift cards from Buffalo Wild Wings, Village Commons Bookstore and HyVee.

-NIU-