Eastern Illinois Panthers

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Eastern Illinois Panthers
Eastern Illinois Panthers logo.svg
University Eastern Illinois University
Conference Ohio Valley Conference (primary)
Summit League (Swimming & diving)
Horizon League (Men's tennis)
NCAA Division I (FCS)
Athletic directorTom Michael
Location Charleston, Illinois
Varsity teams21 (10 men's and 11 women's)
Football stadium O’Brien Field
Basketball arena Lantz Arena
Baseball stadium Coaches Stadium at Monier Field
Softball stadiumWilliams Field
Soccer stadiumLakeside Soccer Field
Mascot Billy the Panther
NicknamePanthers
Fight songEastern State March
ColorsBlue and gray [1]
   
Website www.eiupanthers.com
Eastern Illinois Panthers wordmark.svg

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]

Contents

History

Ohio Valley Conference logo in Eastern Illinois colors Ohio Valley Conference logo in Eastern Illinois colors.svg
Ohio Valley Conference logo in Eastern Illinois colors

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 sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Beach volleyball
Cross countryCross Country
Football Golf
GolfSoccer
Soccer Softball
Swimming and divingSwimming and diving
TennisTennis
Track and field Track and field
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

Baseball

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

Basketball

Men's basketball

YearSeedFirst Round WinnerFirst Round Loser
1992 15 Indiana 94Eastern Illinois55
2001 15 Arizona 101Eastern Illinois76

Women’s basketball

YearSeedFirst Round WinnerFirst Round Loser
1988 10 Colorado 78Eastern Illinois72

Men's cross country

Team Championships:

National Finishes:

Football

YearFirst Round Home Team First Round Away Team Second Round HomeSecond Round Away Quarterfinal HomeQuarterfinal Away
1982 OT Eastern Illinois16 Jackson Tigers 13 Tennessee State 20Eastern Illinois19
1983 2OT Indiana State 16Eastern Illinois13
1986Eastern Illinois28 Murray State 21Eastern Illinois22 Eastern Kentucky 24
1989 Idaho 21Eastern Illinois38 Montana 25Eastern Illinois19
1995 Stephen F. Austin 34Eastern Illinois29
1996 Northern Iowa 21Eastern Illinois14
2000Montana45Eastern Illinois13
2001Eastern Illinois43Northern Iowa49
2002 Western Illinois 48Eastern Illinois9
2005Eastern Illinois6 Southern Illinois 21
2006Eastern Illinois13 Illinois State 24
2007 Southern Illinois 30Eastern Illinois11
2009 Southern Illinois 48Eastern Illinois7
2012 South Dakota State 58 Eastern Illinois 10
2013ByeBye Eastern Illinois 51 Tennessee State 10Eastern Illinois39 Towson 49
2015 Northern Iowa 53 Eastern Illinois 17

Men’s golf

National Finishes: [13]

Individual National Champions: [14]

Soccer

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:

Individual National Champions: [17]

Track and field

Team Championships (men's):

Individual Champions:

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]

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

Notable former athletes

Baseball

Basketball

Football

Handball

MMA

Rugby

Soccer

Track

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball</span>

The Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The first basketball team started in 1908–09 season. The school's team currently competes in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Panthers competed in the NCAA Division I tournament in 1992 and 2001.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Illinois Panthers men's soccer</span> American college soccer team

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Illinois Panthers track and field</span>

The Eastern Illinois Panthers track and field program represents Eastern Illinois University in the sport of track and field. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). The Panthers host their home indoor meets in the Lantz Field House and their home outdoor meets at O'Brien Field, both located on the university's campus. The Panthers track teams are currently led by head coach Keith Roberts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Illinois Panthers women's basketball</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–19 Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2018–19 Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball team represented Eastern Illinois University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by seventh-year head coach Jay Spoonhour, played their home games at Lantz Arena as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 14–18, 7–11 in OVC play to finish in sixth place. They lost to UT Martin in the first round of the OVC tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2019–20 Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball team represented Eastern Illinois University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by eighth-year head coach Jay Spoonhour, played their home games at Lantz Arena as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 17–15, 9–9 in OVC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated Jacksonville State in the first round of the OVC tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Austin Peay.

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  20. "Eastern Illinois Facilities". Eastern Illinois Panthers. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
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