NIU's Cal Bowl team reunites after tragedy

It was a banner year for the Huskies.

Northern Illinois University's 1983 football team under coach Bill Mallory beat the University of Toledo to clinch a spot in the California Bowl and went on to defeat California State-Fullerton in the big game.

In the 25 years since, members of the 1983 team have kept in close contact, reuniting for alumni events and an annual golf outing that benefits NIU's football program.

"When you have that kind of success, you know you're going to be in a cohesive group," said David LaCerra, a safety on the 1983 squad.

The squad was together again on Monday for the first day of classes since Feb. 14, when a gunman killed five students in a Cole Hall classroom before turning a gun on himself.

Teammates from that memorable year in Huskie football, as well as former head coach Joe Novak, were at NIU's Business School and MLK Commons Monday morning, greeting students, welcoming them back to class and handing out about 40,000 hand-wrapped cookies.

Tim Tyrell, quarterback of the California Bowl team, cut a still-trim figure in his college letter jacket Monday as he recalled when he first heard of the shooting.

"The extent of it was a little bit numbing. I just couldn't believe it," Tyrell said.

Immediately, the former teammates started reaching out to each other.

"When this tragic event happened, everyone called each other, e-mailed each other," said Jim Mukite, nose guard and captain of the 1983 team. "We wanted to know what we could do."

Mukite, friends said, got the team together to greet returning students.

"There's no magic formula. Just show up," Mukite said. "I just want to let them know there's a larger NIU community out there."

The 1983 football team joined dozens of other alumni who helped counsel students and welcome them back Monday.

"Alumni just want to do whatever they can to help," said Dan Feely, center on the 1983 squad. "I want students to walk away thinking alumni care about them."

Vince Scott, who kicked the field goal that clinched NIU's 1983 game against the University of Kansas, approached students on the commons with a smile and a basket of cookies.

"I'm a big believer that something good always comes out of something bad," Scott said. "This tragedy will have an amazing impact on people's lives, and they'll become stronger because of it."