The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the intercollegiate athletic programs of

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

(EIU) located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The Panthers athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level in the

Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...

. EIU's colors are blue and gray. Selected as the team mascot in 1930, EIU's panther was informally known as "Billy" for many years and was officially named "Billy the Panther" in 2008. Panther teams have won five NCAA national championships in three sports. The Panthers also won the 1969 NAIA men's soccer title.

History

Eastern Illinois athletics began in the school's very first year, with the inaugural football team taking the field only three weeks after the first students arrived on campus in 1899. Eastern Illinois was a member of the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1912 to 1970. From 1978 to 1982 they were members of the Mid-Continent Athletic Association which was absorbed by the Association of Mid-Continent Universities later known as the

Mid-Continent Conference The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on t ...

now the Summit League till 1996. In 1996 they joined the Ohio Valley Conference which is their current conference. A member of the Ohio Valley Conference since 1996, Eastern Illinois University sponsors teams in ten men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The Panthers' men's soccer team and men's and women's swimming teams compete as associate members of the Summit League since those sports are not sponsored by the OVC. The OVC merged its men's tennis league into that of the Horizon League after the 2021–22 school year, with all OVC teams in that sport, including Eastern Illinois, becoming Horizon associates.

Sports sponsored

Baseball

*1973 NCAA Division II World Series Third Place. *1978 NCAA Division II World Series Fifth Place. *1981 NCAA Division II World Series Runner-Up. The Panther baseball team has appeared in two NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Basketball

Men's basketball

* NAIA Tournament appearances (6)

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

. With a combined record of 7–7. Highest finish, 4th: 1957. * NCAA Division II Tournament appearances each year from

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

. Highest finish, 3rd:

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

and

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

. * NCAA Division I Tournament appearances (1992 and 2001). *All time tournament results

Women’s basketball

* NCAA Division I Tournament appearance 1988.

Men's cross country

Team Championships: *1968 – NCAA College Division National Champions *1969 – NCAA College Division National Champions *1977 – NCAA Division II National Champions

Football

Division II National Champion *

Division II National Runner-Up. *

NCAA Division I Football Championship The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was kn ...

tournament appearances: 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015. *Conference Titles: 1912, 1913, 1914, 1928, 1948, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013 * All time tournament results

Men’s golf

National Finishes: *1969 - NAIA 4th Place *1972 - NAIA 8th Place Individual National Champions: *1972 - Gaylord Burrows - NAIA

Soccer

Men's soccer

* 1969 – NAIA National Champion. * NCAA Division II runners-up in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, 3rd in

, and 4th in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

. * Stripped of 1981 Division I 3rd-place finish.

Women’s soccer

The Panther women’s soccer team has appeared in four

NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, sometimes known as the Women's College Cup, is an American college soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I women's nation ...

s in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Softball

The Panther softball team has appeared in two Women's College World Series, in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

and

Men’s swimming and diving

Individual National Champions: *1973 - Bob Thomas, NCAA Division II 200 yard backstroke *1973 - Bob Thomas, NCAA Division II 400 yard IM *1973 - Jon Mayfield, NCAA Division II 200 yard breaststroke *1973 - NCAA Division II 400 yard medley (Bob Thomas, Jon Mayfield, Dan Cole, Dave Toler) *1974 - Bob Thomas, NCAA Division II 200 yard backstroke *1974 - Bob Thomas, NCAA Division II 400 yard IM *1974 - Jon Mayfield, NCAA Division II 200 yard breaststroke *1974 - NCAA Division II 400 yard medley (Bob Thomas, Jon Mayfield, Brian Forsberg, Dave Toler) *1975 - Jon Mayfield, NCAA Division II 200 yard breaststroke

Track and field

Team Championships (men's): *1974 – NCAA Division II National Champions *1976 — NCAA Division II National Runner-up Individual Champions: *1955 – Ray White, NAIA Long Jump *1967 – John Craft, NAIA Triple Jump *1969 – John Craft, NCAA College Division Triple Jump *1972 – Rodney Jackson, NCAA College Division 400 hurdles *1973 – Rodney Jackson, NCAA College Division 400 hurdles *1974 – Darrell Brown, NCAA Division II Long Jump *1975 – Toni Ababio, NCAA Division II Long Jump *1975 – Toni Ababio, NCAA Division II Triple Jump *1976 – Ed Hatch, NCAA Division II 400 Meter Dash *1979 – Robert Johnson, NCAA Division II 110 hurdles *1981 — 4x400 Relay, Women’s Track & Field AIAW II *1981 – Augustine Oruwari, NCAA Division II 110 hurdles *1988 – Jim Maton, NCAA Division I 800 meter run (Indoor) *1992 – Dan Steele, NCAA Division I 400 hurdles

Volleyball

The Eastern Illinois volleyball team has been the Ohio Valley Conference champions in 1998 and co champions in 2004. The volleyball team has made one

NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament The NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament is an annual event that leads to the championship in women's volleyball from teams in Division I contested by the NCAA each winter since 1981. Texas won the most recent tournament, defeating Louis ...

appearance in

Athletic facilities

Current facilities

Facilities are housed on the west side of the EIU campus between 4th Street and Grant Avenue. *

Coaches Stadium at Monier Field Coaches Stadium at Monier Field is a baseball venue in Charleston, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Eastern Illinois Panthers baseball team of the NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference. It has a capacity of 500 spectators. Eas ...

— Baseball *Darling Courts — Men's and women's tennis *Lakeside Field — Men's and women's soccer * Lantz Arena — Men's and women's basketball, Volleyball *Lantz Field House — Men's and women's indoor track and field * O’Brien Field — Football, Men's and women's outdoor track and field *Ray Padovan Pool — Men's and women's swimming and diving *Tom Woodall Panther Trail — Men's and women's cross country *Williams Field — Softball Men's and women's golf practice at four local courses including Charleston Country Club, Mattoon Country Club, Meadowview Golf Course and Bent Tree Golf Course.

Former facilities

* Pemberton Hall — Men’s Basketball * McAfee Gymnasium — Men’s Basketball *Schahrer Field — Football (1899–1948)

Club and intramural facilities

*Student Rec Center — Intramural sports

Notable former athletes

Baseball

* Tim Bogar, retired Major League Baseball

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

* Zach Borenstein (born 1990), baseball outfielder * Randy Myers, former American Major League Baseball pitcher with the New York Mets,

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, San Diego Padres,

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays between 1985 and 1998. 4x MLB All-Star. * Marty Pattin, former MLB baseball pitcher for the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

Seattle Pilots The Seattle Pilots were an American professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington during the 1969 Major League Baseball season. During their single-season existence, the Pilots played their ho ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

, Boston Red Sox, and

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

* Stan Royer, MLB baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox * Kevin Seitzer, retired all-star Major League Baseball player

Basketball

Henry Domercant Henry Domercant (born December 30, 1980) is an American and Bosnian-Herzegovinian professional basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Windy City Bulls in the NBA G League, the development team for the Chicago Bull ...

, former

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

player in Europe * Kevin Duckworth, former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

All-Star forward * Kyle Hill, former

player in Europe * Jay Taylor, former NBA player for the New Jersey Nets

Football

Brad Childress Bradley Childress (born June 27, 1956) is a former American football coach. He worked for over 40 years as a coach for various college programs and National Football League (NFL) franchises. He was the offensive coordinator for Wisconsin from 19 ...

, former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings * Jimmy Garoppolo, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers *

Jeff Gossett All American D2 Baseball at Eastern Illinois. All American punter 1977 D2 at Eastern Illinois. Jeffrey Alan Gossett (born January 25, 1957) is a former American football punter who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the United Sta ...

, former NFL punter for the LA/Oakland Raiders and 3 other NFL teams *

Kamu Grugier-Hill Caelan Kamuela “Kamu” Grugier-Hill (born May 16, 1994) is an American football linebacker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Eastern Illinois, and was drafted by the New England Pa ...

, linebacker for the Miami Dolphins *

Alexander Hollins Alexander Hollins (born November 24, 1996) is an American gridiron football wide receiver for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for Eastern Illinois. Hollins has also been a member of the Minnesota Vik ...

, wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings *

John Jurkovic Ivan "John" Jurkovic (born August 18, 1967) is a former American football player currently employed as a broadcaster. He grew up in Calumet City, Illinois. Jurkovic played professionally as a defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers, Jack ...

, former NFL

Defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

and Jacksonville Jaguars * Tim Kelly offensive coordinator for the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

* Ray McElroy, former NFL Cornerback for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

and

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

Sean Payton Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...

, head coach of the New Orleans Saints and winner of

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

XLIV *

Ted Petersen Ted Petersen (born February 7, 1955) is a former professional American football offensive lineman. He played for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Indianapolis Colts ...

, retired NFL Offensive/Defensive

tackle Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking ...

for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and

* Tony Romo, former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and now a sportscaster *

Micah Rucker Micah Rucker (born January 4, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Eastern Illinois. College Rucker started his college ...

, former wide receiver for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, Kansas City Chiefs, and

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

; also played in the Arena Football League * Mike Shanahan, former head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders, Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins and 3 times

winner. * Chris Szarka, retired Canadian Football League

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

Pierre Walters Pierre Walters (born March 25, 1986) is a former American football defensive end and active mixed martial artist. Previously, he was an American football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was signed by the C ...

, former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs

Handball

Tim Dykstra Timothy Joseph Dykstra (born November 4, 1961 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American former handball player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Ange ...

, former

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

player who competed in the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

MMA

* Matt Hughes, 2x NCAA All-American wrestler, former UFC Welterweight Champion * Kenny Robertson, 4x NCAA Division I qualifier for wrestling; current mixed martial artist for the UFC * Mike Russow, current mixed martial artist *

Matt Veach Matt Alan Veach (born May 31, 1981) is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter who most recently competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, BAMMA, the MFC, and Cage Warriors. ...

, current mixed martial artist

Rugby

* Lauren Doyle, represented the United States of America for Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Soccer

* Schellas Hyndman, former head coach of soccer's FC Dallas * Matt Bobo, former North American Soccer League player * John Baretta, former North American Soccer League goalkeeper *

George Gorleku George Gorleku is a retired soccer defender (football), defender from Ghana. He played professionally in the American Soccer League (1933-1983), American Soccer League and Major Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League. Gorleku attended Eastern ...

, former Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–92) player *

LeBaron Hollimon LeBaron Hollimon (born August 13, 1969) is an American soccer coach who is currently on the staff of FC Wichita. Hollimon serves as the Director of Coaching for the FC Wichita Academy and also coaches with the men's USL League Two and women's Un ...

, former National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) player * Damien Kelly, former National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) player * Mark Simpson, former goalkeeper and assistant coach for D.C. United * Jason Thompson, former player for D.C. United *

Glen Tourville Glen Tourville is a retired American soccer player and former coach. Player Tourville attended the Eastern Illinois University where he played on the men's soccer team in 1978 and 1979. In 1979, the Panthers went to the NCAA Men's Division II ...

, former Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–92) player

Track

* John Craft, placed 5th in the Men’s triple jump at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

* Sandy Osei-Agyemang, advanced to the second round in the Men's 100 metres and Men's 4 × 100 metres relay at the

* Dan Steele, track All-American, 400-meter National Champion, and Bronze Medalist at the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...

* Darrin Steele, competed at the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

and the

References

External links

* {{Authority control Sports clubs established in 1895 1895 establishments in Illinois