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Eastern Illinois Panthers

Eastern Illinois Panthers
Logo
UniversityEastern Illinois University
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference (primary)
Summit League (Swimming & diving)
Horizon League (Men's tennis)
NCAADivision I (FCS)
Athletic directorTom Michael
LocationCharleston, Illinois
Varsity teams21 (10 men's and 11 women's)
Football stadiumO’Brien Field
Basketball arenaLantz Arena
Baseball stadiumCoaches Stadium at Monier Field
Softball stadiumWilliams Field
Soccer stadiumLakeside Soccer Field
MascotBilly the Panther
NicknamePanthers
Fight songEastern State March
ColorsBlue and gray[1]
   
Websiteeiupanthers.com/index.aspx

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 in 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]

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.[7]

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 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 eleven women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[8] The Panthers' 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 men's soccer team also competed in the Summit League before the OVC launched a men's soccer league for the 2023 season (2023–24 school year). 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.[9]

Sports sponsored

Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Beach volleyball
Cross country Cross Country
Football Golf
Golf Soccer
Soccer Softball
Swimming and diving Swimming and diving
Tennis Tennis
Track and field† Track and field†
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

Baseball

Main article: Eastern Illinois Panthers baseball
Ohio Valley Conference logo in Eastern Illinois colors
  • 1973 NCAA Division II World Series Third Place.
  • 1978 NCAA Division II World Series Fifth Place.
  • 1981 NCAA Division II World Series Runner-Up.[10]

The Panther baseball team has appeared in three NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, in 1999, 2008, and 2023.

Basketball

Men's basketball

Main article: Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball
Year Seed First Round Winner First Round Loser
1992 15 Indiana 94 Eastern Illinois 55
2001 15 Arizona 101 Eastern Illinois 76

Women’s basketball

Main article: Eastern Illinois Panthers women's basketball
Year Seed First Round Winner First Round Loser
1988 10 Colorado 78 Eastern Illinois 72

Men's cross country

Team Championships:

  • 1968 – NCAA College Division National Champions
  • 1969 – NCAA College Division National Champions
  • 1977 – NCAA Division II National Champions

National Finishes:

  • 1971 – NCAA Division II Fifth Place
  • 1972 – NCAA Division II Seventh Place
  • 1973 – NCAA Division II Third Place
  • 1974 – NCAA Division II Third Place
  • 1975 – NCAA Division II Third Place
  • 1976 – NCAA Division II Third Place
  • 1978 – NCAA Division II Fifth Place
  • 1979 – NCAA Division II Third Place

Football

Main article: Eastern Illinois Panthers football
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 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 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 Towson 49
2015 Northern Iowa 53 Eastern Illinois 17

Men’s golf

National Finishes:[13]

  • 1969 - NAIA 4th Place
  • 1972 - NAIA 8th Place

Individual National Champions:[14]

  • 1972 - Gaylord Burrows - NAIA

Soccer

Men's soccer

Main article: Eastern Illinois Panthers men's soccer
  • 1969 – NAIA National Champion.
  • NCAA Division II runners-up in 1979, 3rd in 1978, and 4th in 1974.
  • 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 tournaments in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.[15]

Softball

The Panther softball team appeared in two AIAW Women's College World Series, in 1971 and 1974.[16] They reached their first NCAA Division I softball tournament in 2023.

Men’s swimming and diving

National Finishes:

  • 1975 - NCAA Division II 3rd Place

Individual National Champions:[17]

  • 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

Main article: Eastern Illinois Panthers track and field

Team Championships (men's):

  • 1974 – NCAA Division II Outdoor National Champions
  • 1976 — NCAA Division II Outdoor 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, co champions in 2004, and 2023. The volleyball team has made two NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament appearances in 2001 and 2023.[18]

Athletic facilities

Current facilities

Facilities are housed on the west side of the EIU campus between 4th Street and Grant Avenue.[19]

  • Coaches Stadium at Monier Field — 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.[20]

Former facilities

Club and intramural facilities

  • Student Rec Center — Intramural sports

Notable former athletes

Baseball

Basketball

Football

Handball

MMA

Rugby

Soccer

Track

References

  1. ^ "EIU BRANDING, MARKETING & LOGOS". Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  2. ^ "OVC Member Institutions". Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  3. ^ "Eastern Illinois University". NCAA. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "EIU Panther Mascot". Eastern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  5. ^ "EIU National Championships". Eastern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  6. ^ "Men's Soccer Championship Records" (PDF). National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  7. ^ "History". Eastern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  8. ^ "FB_familyweekend_2014". Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  9. ^ "Horizon League Announces Innovative Partnership with Ohio Valley Conference and Men's Tennis Programs, Adds Chicago State as an Affiliate Member for Men's and Women's Tennis" (Press release). Horizon League. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "Eastern Illinois Panthers - Turn Back the Clock Tuesday - May 16, 1981". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  11. ^ [1] Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "Eastern Illinois Men's Golf Record Book" (PDF). Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  14. ^ "EIU Individual National Champions". Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  15. ^ "EIU Women's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "EIU National Championships". Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  18. ^ "EIU Volleyball Record Book" (PDF). p. 57. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  19. ^ "Eastern Illinois Athletic Facilities" (PDF). Eastern Illinois Panthers. p. 3. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  20. ^ "Eastern Illinois Facilities". Eastern Illinois Panthers. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Buildings and Grounds of EIU". Eastern Illinois University. p. 35. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  22. ^ "Nostalgia Surrounds O'Brien" (PDF). Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 16 March 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  23. ^ "Stan Royer". Baseball Reference.com. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  24. ^ "Kevin Seitzer". Baseball Reference.com. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  25. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Tim Dykstra". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  26. ^ "Schellas Hyndman". Southern Methodist University. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  27. ^ "Dan Steel". Journal Gazette and Times-Courier. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  28. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Darrin Steele Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
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