Northern Illinois University fired its strength and conditioning coach Monday for allegedly ordering football players to sprint through a drum and bugle corps' practice last week, injuring two buglers.

John Binkowski, 32, of DeKalb, an athletic department employee since 1999, reportedly became angry when about 20 football players were unable to use the field, the university said.

Baritone bugler David Podrazik, 19, of Ellington, Conn., suffered a hairline jaw fracture after being hit by a football player. A second baritone bugler, Nathaniel Cooper, 16, of Owensboro, Ky., sustained a severely sprained ankle.

Both were marching next to each other when one football player blindsided them, said Chris Ward, assistant director of the Capital Regiment drum corps of Columbus, Ohio. Ward said he witnessed the incident, which also was videotaped.

The university is not releasing the player's name until he is charged, NIU spokeswoman Melanie Magara said Monday. Charges are expected Tuesday.

A second player, Anthony Falbo, 20, a junior defensive tackle from River Grove, struck an 18-year-old female member of the corps' color guard, Ward said. She refused treatment at a local hospital. University police arrested Falbo at the scene and charged him with battery. He has been suspended from the team.

NIU President John Peters called the matter "appalling." He pledged that the university would "do everything possible to get to the bottom of this."

Neither Binkowski nor Falbo could be reached for comment.

In a statement released Monday, the university said Binkowski, a native of South Holland who played offensive lineman for Western Illinois University in Macomb, displayed "hostile, unprofessional conduct toward university guests that put student athletes in an unacceptably compromised position."

The incident occurred about 5:45 p.m. Thursday, while the corps rehearsed for the Drum Corps Midwest championships, held Friday, Saturday and Sunday at NIU's Huskie Stadium.

Football players and the drum and bugle corps shared the field Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Ward said.

But Drum Corps Midwest's contract with the university stated the drum corps had exclusive use of the field Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Ward said. When his corps showed up for its scheduled practice Thursday afternoon, Binkowski became irate , Ward said.

"He just ranted and raved and said, `It's my field and I'm going to use it anytime I want, whether you're on it or not,'" Ward said. "I've been involved in marching corps for 25 years and have never seen anybody in such a tirade and so unreasonable."

Competition organizers called university officials and the corps continued practicing while football players stretched and warmed up in the north end zone, Ward said. Minutes later, an NIU police officer came to the field.

Ward said he started walking toward the officer and heard Binkowski shout an order to "go through." Ward said he turned and saw the players preparing to run wind sprints but he was unable to warn corps members in time.

"They just plowed into these kids," Ward said. "There was no tiptoeing around. I do believe some of the players knew what was going on and they were trying not to hit people, but they still were afraid to disobey their coach."

Beyond firing Binkowski and suspending Falbo, the university waived all costs associated with Drum Corps Midwest's use of university facilities this year, estimated as high as $19,000.

Ward said he was "extremely happy" with the university's "timely and very effective" response.