Northern Star Online

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

All aboard the NIU Huskies fan van
NIU alum turns old van into Huskies football party wagon

ZACH HINES

NIU graduate student Justin Heuer bought a 1989 GMC Vandura off eBay and renovated it into a lean, mean, Huskie van machine. Heuer takes the van, which he spent about $4,000 on renovating, to all NIU home games for tailgating. The van is pictured here at the Iowa State game on Sept. 27.

Article by:
Mark Pickrel - Sports Reporter
• mpickrel@northernstar.info

Judging by the flocks of people who surround it each home football game, it’s the most popular 1989 GMC Vandura one-ton van on the campus of Northern Illinois University.

And, it was purchased for only $520 off eBay. The red doors didn’t match the original color of the van, which was white.

But for NIU graduate student Justin Heuer, countless hours of hard work and an estimated $4,000 later, the van has become his pride and joy.

“I got the van off eBay from a guy in Rockford,” Heuer said. “I called the guy up and drove out there and checked it out. I thought it would work and bought it on the spot.”

What used to be a rusted-out van has turned into the ultimate show of school spirit. The van was completely renovated by Heuer.

“It’s awesome,” Carolyn Baylis, a senior management major said. “Its a great way to show Huskie pride and NIU spirit.”

The Huskie Mobile makes all the home games but won’t make many road trips.

“We don’t take it on the road that much,” Smith said. “It gets less than 10 miles per gallon. It would’ve taken like 70 gallons of gas to get to Alabama.”

The van is black with “Northern Illinois University” painted in red on the side. There is a red stripe that runs down the middle of the van and just behind the driver and passenger side door is the NIU Huskie logo.

The inside walls are carpeted and the floor of the van is astroturf with a football field painted on it. The seats were replaced, and two flag poles were mounted on the top.

A wooden deck that contains speakers and a barbeque grill was added on the top of the van. It has railings and can be folded up for easy travel.

“I basically overhauled the van,” Heuer said. “I got new rims, tires, seats, and lights and a bunch of other things.”

Each home game, Heuer parties with 12 of his buddies and countless others who just stop by to compliment Heuer on his hard work.

The van even has its own Web site, www.huskiemobile.com.

Here visitors can see the van step-by-step during the renovation process, view pictures of the van at home games and read about Heuer’s inspiration for the project.