Eastern Illinois Panthers
| Eastern Illinois Panthers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Eastern Illinois University |
| Conference | Ohio Valley Conference Summit League (Men's soccer, m/w swimming) |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Tom Michael |
| Location | Charleston, Illinois |
| Varsity teams | 20 (10 men's and 10 women's) |
| Football stadium | O'Brien Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Lantz Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Coaches Stadium at Monier Field |
| Mascot | Billy the Panther |
| Nickname | Panthers |
| Colors | Blue and gray[1] |
| Website | www |
 | |
The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the intercollegiate athletic programs of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The Panthers athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC)[2] and competes at the NCAA Division I[3] level including the Football Championship Subdivision. 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.[4] Panther teams have won five NCAA national championships in three sports.[5] The Panthers also won the 1969 NAIA men's soccer title.[6]
Teams
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.[7]
A member of the Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern Illinois University sponsors teams in ten men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[8] 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.
Sports highlights
Baseball
- 1981 NCAA Division II World Series Runner-Up.[9]
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cross Country |
| Football | Soccer |
| Golf | Softball |
| Soccer | Swimming & Diving |
| Swimming & Diving | Tennis |
| Tennis | Track and field† |
| Track and field† | Volleyball |
| † – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor | |
Men's basketball
- NAIA Tournament appearances (6) 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1957. With a combined record of 7–7. Highest finish, 4th: 1957.
- NCAA Division II Tournament appearances each year from 1975 to 1980
- NCAA Division I Tournament appearances (1992 and 2001).
- All time tournament results[10]
| Year | Seed | First Round Winner | First Round Loser | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 15 | Indiana | 94 | Eastern Illinois | 55 |
| 2001 | 15 | Arizona | 101 | Eastern Illinois | 76 |
Football
- 1978 Division II National Champion
- 1980 Division II National Runner-Up.
- NCAA Division I Football Championship tournament appearances: 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, & 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015.
- All time tournament results[11]
| Year | First Round Home Team | First Round Away Team | Second Round Home | Second Round Away | Quarterfinal Home | Quarterfinal Away | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 OT | Eastern Illinois | 16 | Jackson State | 13 | Tennessee State | 20 | Eastern Illinois | 19 | ||
| 1983 2OT | Indiana State | 16 | Eastern Illinois | 13 | ||||||
| 1986 | Eastern Illinois | 28 | Murray State | 21 | Eastern Illinois | 22 | Eastern Kentucky | 24 | ||
| 1989 | Idaho | 21 | Eastern Illinois | 38 | Montana | 25 | Eastern Illinois | 19 | ||
| 1995 | Stephen F. Austin | 34 | Eastern Illinois | 29 | ||||||
| 1996 | Northern Iowa | 21 | Eastern Illinois | 14 | ||||||
| 2000 | Montana | 45 | Eastern Illinois | 13 | ||||||
| 2001 | Eastern Illinois | 43 | Northern Iowa | 49 | ||||||
| 2002 | Western Illinois | 48 | Eastern Illinois | 9 | ||||||
| 2005 | Eastern Illinois | 6 | Southern Illinois | 21 | ||||||
| 2006[12] | Eastern Illinois | 13 | Illinois State | 24 | ||||||
| 2007 | Southern Illinois | 30 | Eastern Illinois | 11 | ||||||
| 2009 | Southern Illinois | 48 | Eastern Illinois | 7 | ||||||
| 2012 | South Dakota State | 58 | Eastern Illinois | 10 | ||||||
| 2013 | Bye | Bye | Eastern Illinois 51 | Tennessee State 10 | Eastern Illinois | 39 | Townson | 49 | ||
| 2015 | Northern Iowa | 53 | Eastern Illinois | 17 | ||||||
Men's soccer
- NCAA Division II runners-up in 1978, 3rd in 1977, and 4th in 1974.
- Stripped of 1981 Division I 3rd-place finish.
- 1969 – NAIA National Champion.
Men's cross country
Team Championships:
- 1968 – NCAA College Division National Champions
- 1969 – NCAA College Division National Champions
- 1977 – NCAA Division II National Champions
Men's track and field
Team Championships (men's):
- 1974 – NCAA College Division National Champions
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 – 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
Softball
The Panther softball team has appeared in two Women's College World Series, in 1971 and 1974.[13]
Notable former athletes
- Tim Bogar, retired Major League Baseball infielder
- Zach Borenstein (born 1990), baseball outfielder
- Brad Childress, former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings
- Henry Domercant, professional basketball player in Europe
- Kevin Duckworth, former NBA All-Star forward
- Jimmy Garoppolo, quarterback for the New England Patriots
- Kyle Hill, professional basketball player in Europe
- Matt Hughes, 2x NCAA All-American wrestler, former UFC Welterweight Champion
- Marty Pattin, former MLB baseball pitcher for the California Angels, Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and Kansas City Royals
- Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints
- Kenny Robertson, 4x NCAA Division I qualifier for wrestling; current mixed martial artist for the UFC
- Tony Romo, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys
- Micah Rucker, former wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and New York Giants; also played in the Arena Football League
- Mike Russow, current mixed martial artist
- Mike Shanahan, head coach of the Washington Redskins
- Chris Szarka, retired Canadian Football League fullback
- Pierre Walters, NFL linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs
- Jeff Gossett, former NFL punter for the LA/Oakland Raiders and 3 other NFL teams
- Ted Petersen, retired NFL Offensive/Defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Indianapolis Colts
- Matt Veach, current mixed martial artist
References
- ^ "EIU BRANDING, MARKETING & LOGOS". Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ "OVC Member Institutions". Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "Eastern Illinois University". NCAA. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "EIU Panther Mascot". Eastern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "EIU National Championships". Eastern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Championship Records" (PDF). National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "History". Eastern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "FB_familyweekend_2014". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- ^ "Eastern Illinois Panthers - Turn Back the Clock Tuesday - May 16, 1981". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- ^ [1] Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Eastern Illinois Panther Football : Panthers - Salukis Meet For Third Time In Five Years EIU Opens FCS Plays At Southern Illinois" (PDF). Eiupanthers.com. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
- ^ [2] Archived September 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN 978-0-9893007-0-4.
