The 1961 Northern Illinois State Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Howard Fletcher, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 4–4–1 with a mark of 3–2–1 in conference play, tying for third place in the IIAC. The team played home games at the 5,500-seat Glidden Field, located on the east end of campus, in DeKalb, Illinois.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	Northwest Missouri State*	Glidden Field DeKalb, IL	W 49–0	4,000
September 23	Wheaton (IL)*	Glidden Field DeKalb, IL	L 2–7	3,600
September 29	at Northeast Missouri State*	Stokes Stadium Kirksville, MO	L 13–28	2,300
October 7	at No. 4 Southern Illinois	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	L 6–35	10,500
October 14	Eastern Illinois	Lincoln Field Charleston, IL	T 20–20	3,600–7,000	[1][2]
October 21	Western Illinois	Glidden Field DeKalb, IL	W 23–22	14,000
October 28	at Central Michigan	Mount Pleasant, MI	W 11–0	8,000–8,100	[3]
October 29	Illinois State Normal	Glidden Field DeKalb, IL	L 0–7	11,500
November 5	Eastern Michigan	Glidden Field DeKalb, IL	W 35–10	4,700
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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