Phillips passionate about his families, the Huskies, athletics and Chicago

DeKALB - In his heart, new Northern Illinois University athletics director Jim Phillips never left his hometown. Sure, the chronological stops on his impressive vita sheet read the University of Illinois, Arizona State University, the University of Tennessee, and, most recently, the University of Notre Dame. A product of a middle class family in the Portage Park neighborhood on the northwest side of Chicago, Phillips is back home. In essence, it's a Chicagoan leading the 17-sport Huskie intercollegiate athletics program at a Chicago area school. "That's why (being at) Northern Illinois makes so much sense to me," Phillips said. "I'm home. That's critically important to me. I'm a product of my experience and environment. Chicago will always