There’s no question Chicago’s Soldier Field has seen its share of big-time football. Northern Illinois University and the University of Iowa plan to add to that history next fall when the schools square off in what will be the first NCAA Division I-A football game played on the historic field in a decade.

The pending matchup will mark each program’s first appearance at Soldier Field.

"For all Huskies fans, Hawkeye fans and college football fans in general, this is a win-win situation. For us to attract a quality Big Ten program such as Iowa into Soldier Field is tremendous. It’s a terrific matchup between two schools that have thousands of Chicago-area alumni," said Phillips.

Bowlsby, who is now athletics director at Stanford University, also expressed excitement about the game.

"Northern Illinois is an outstanding institution with an excellent football program. We look forward to the renewal of the series this October in Iowa City. And, I expect an awful lot of Hawkeye fans will find their way into Chicago to see this game next year. It should be a special day for both programs," he said.

In the last Division I-A game played at Soldier Field, Northwestern University defeated the University of Oklahoma, 24-0, on August 23, 1997. Soldier Field is home to the NFL’s Chicago Bears.

Williams College once again demonstrated its dominance on the athletics fields and courts by earning the U.S. Sports Academy Director’s Cup presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics for the eighth straight year.

The college believes it is well on its way to establishing its academic dominance as well and in a way no other NCAA member institution has ever done. This spring, Williams also was named as the top liberal arts college by U.S. News and World Report, giving the school No. 1 national rankings in athletics and academics for the third consecutive year. Williams just edged Amherst College for top billing in the U.S. News annual ranking that included 215 schools. Seven Ephs teams finished in the top five nationally, including the women’s rowing team, which captured its second straight national title, to help propel the school past 2005-06 Directors’ Cup runner-up The College of New Jersey.

Williams first laid claim to the top spot in the U.S. News academic listing in 2003-04. That same year, the Ephs finished 270 points ahead of Emory University to collect their eighth overall Directors’ Cup, as Williams became the first NCAA member institution at any level to be deemed No. 1 athletically and academically, according to the school.

"I am extremely proud to accept the Directors’ Cup on behalf of our student-athletes, coaching faculty, support staff and college. The students on our teams exhibit great work ethic, discipline and passion. I know I speak for our coaches when I say that our students are a great source of pride and inspiration for us all," said Sheehy. "I also want to thank our coaches for their work in making the athletics experience a true part of our athletes’ education here at Williams."

Overall, the Ephs have captured 10 of the 11 Cups awarded at the Division III level.