| Eastern Illinois Panthers | |
| University | Eastern Illinois University |
|---|---|
| Conference(s) | Ohio Valley Conference |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Barbara Burke |
| Location | Charleston, IL |
| Varsity teams | 10 men's and 11 women's |
| Football stadium | O'Brien Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Lantz Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Coaches Stadium at Monier Field |
| Mascot | Billy the Panther (Replaced by Prowler the Panther in 2003, returned on September 13, 2008) |
| Nickname | Panthers |
| Fight song | |
| Colors | Blue and Gray
|
| Homepage | Official Athletics Website |
The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the men's and women's athletic teams representing Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL. Eastern Illinois University's colors are blue and gray. Eastern Illinois sports teams, except for men's football and swimming teams, participate in NCAA Division I (FCS for football) in the Ohio Valley Conference. The men's soccer program competes in the Missouri Valley Conference and the swim team competes in The Summit League. The team mascot, a panther, was informally known as "Billy" until its name was officially changed to "Prowler the Panther," in 2003 and changed again to "Billy the Panther" on 13 September 2008. [1].
Sports[]
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 [2]
| 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 National Runner-Up.
- NCAA Division I Football Championship tournament appearances: 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, & 2009
| Year | First Round Home Team | First Round Away Team | Quarterfinal Home | Quarterfinal Away | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 OT | Eastern Illinois | 16 | Jackson Tigers | 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 [4] | Eastern Illinois | 13 | Illinois State | 24 | ||||
| 2007 | Southern Illinois | 30 | Eastern Illinois | 11 | ||||
| 2009 | Southern Illinois | 48 | Eastern Illinois | 7 | ||||
Cross country[]
Team Championships:
- 1968 – NCAA College Division National Champions
- 1969 – NCAA College Division National Champions
- 1977 – NCAA National Champions
Track and field[]
Team Championships:
- 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
Fight Song[]
Eastern Loyalty or EIU Fight Song is the fight song for the university. The lyrics are:
We are loyal EIU, we're loyal and true –
'though the odds be great or small
we'll still be cheering you (rah! rah!)
so fight you Panthers for the glory of our dear name
fight on for Eastern, come on you Panthers win this game!
Notable former athletes[]
- Tim Bogar, retired Major League Baseball infielder
- Bobby Catchings, basketball player & professional basketball player in Europe
- Brad Childress, former Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings
- Ray D'Alessio, Sports Anchor CNN Headline News
- Henry Domercant, basketball player & professional basketball player in Europe
- Kevin Duckworth, former NBA All-Star forward
- Kyle Hill, basketball player & professional basketball player in Europe
- Kyle O'Brien, Hanson's, Team USA Marathon Runner
- Marty Pattin, former MLB baseball pitcher, California Angels, Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox & Kansas City Royals
- Sean Payton, Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints
- Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback
- Micah Rucker, former Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, Currently with the New York Giants Wide Receiver
- Mike Shanahan, Head Coach of the Washington Redskins
- Ryan Shuff, Arena Football League Houston Thunderbears, Buffalo Destroyers
- Chris Szarka, Canadian Football League fullback
- Pierre Walters, NFL Linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs
External[]
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| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Eastern Illinois Panthers football. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with American Football Database, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |