The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the men's and women's athletic  teams representing Eastern Illinois University

Eastern Illinois University

Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. 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 comprehensive university with a...

 in Charleston, IL. Eastern Illinois University's colors are blue

Blue

Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...

 and gray. Eastern Illinois sports teams, except for men's soccer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 and swimming teams, participate in NCAA Division I (FCS for football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

) in the Ohio Valley Conference

Ohio Valley Conference

The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...

. The men's soccer program competes in the Missouri Valley Conference

Missouri Valley Conference

The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...

 and the swim team competes in The Summit League. The team mascot, a panther

Black panther

A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...

, 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. http://www.dennews.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&istory_id=347892.

Men's Basketball

• • NAIA Tournament
    NAIA national men's basketball championship
    The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship has been held annually since 1937 . The tournament was established by James Naismith to crown a national champion for smaller colleges and universities...
    
     appearances (6) 1947
    1947 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
    The 1947 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 10th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . It would be the first time since 1945 the NAIA Semifinalist would feature...
    
    , 1949
    1949 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
    The 1949 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 12th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . The championship game featured Hamline University defeating Regis College...
    
    , 1950
    1950 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
    The 1950 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 13th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . The championship game featured Indiana State University and East Central...
    
    , 1952
    1952 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
    The 1952 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 15th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format....
    
    , 1953
    1953 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
    The 1953 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 16th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . The championship game would feature Southwest Missouri State University,...
    
    , 1957
    1957 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
    The 1957 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 20th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . This would be the first tournament to have seeded teams. This also means...
    
    . With a combined record of 7-7. Highest finish, 4th: 1957.
  • NCAA Division II Tournament
    NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
    The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions of Division I...
    
     appearances each year from 1975 to 1980
  • NCAA Division I Tournament
    NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
    The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
    
     appearances (1992 and 2001).
• All time tournament results http://www.eiu.edu/~sprtinfo/sports/bsktball/07_MBB-Guide.pdf

  Year	Seed	| First Round Winner		| First Round Loser
  1992 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 19, 1992, and ended with the championship game on April 6 in Minneapolis, Minnesota...	15	Indiana Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic teams for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University . Athletic teams sponsored by IU Bloomington include cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, volleyball, soccer, football and basketball...	94	Eastern Illinois	55
  2001 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 2001 with the play-in game, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in...	15	Arizona Arizona Wildcats -Athletic program:The University of Arizona participates in the NCAA's Division I-A in the Pacific-12 Conference Arizona participates in the conference's South Division, along with Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, and Utah...	101	Eastern Illinois	76

Football

• • 1978 Division II
    NCAA Division II national football championship
    The NCAA Division II National Football Championship began in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional bowl games were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the NCAA College Division and a poll determined the final champion....
    
     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

• All time tournament results http://www.eiupanthers.com/custompages/football/2009/EIU%202009%20Football%20Notes%20(Southern%20Illinois%20FCS_1).pdf

  Year	| First Round Home Team Home team In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans...		| First Round Away Team		| Quarterfinal Home		Quarterfinal Away
  1982 OT Overtime (sports) Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...	Eastern Illinois	16	Jackson Tigers Jackson State Tigers The Jackson State Tigers represent Jackson State University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics.-Conference affiliation:Jackson State University's athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference which is a part of the NCAA Division I. Football participates in the Football...	13	Tennessee State	20	Eastern Illinois	19
  1983 2OT	Indiana State Indiana State Sycamores The Indiana State University Sycamores are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Indiana State University. They are members of the Missouri Valley Conference, joining in the 1977-78 academic year; past conference memberships include the Indiana College Athletic League , the Indiana Intercollegiate...	16	Eastern Illinois	13
  1986	Eastern Illinois	28	Murray State Murray State Racers Murray State University features 15 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Racers, with the exception of the baseball team which is known as the Thoroughbreds. They participate in the NCAA's Division I, in the Ohio Valley Conference. Football competes the Football...	21	Eastern Illinois	22	Eastern Kentucky Eastern Kentucky Colonels EKU fields teams in 15 varsity sports . The school is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference in Division I of the NCAA , having been a part of the conference since its inception in 1948...	24
  1989	Idaho Idaho Vandals The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. They participate in NCAA Division I - FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....	21	Eastern Illinois	38	Montana Montana Grizzlies Montana Grizzlies is the nickname given to the athletic teams of the University of Montana. The women's basketball team, however, uses the moniker Lady Griz...	25	Eastern Illinois	19
  1995	Stephen F. Austin	34	Eastern Illinois	29
  1996	Northern Iowa Northern Iowa Panthers The Northern Iowa Panthers are the athletic teams of the University of Northern Iowa. The university is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 15 varsity teams in 11 sports:...	21	Eastern Illinois	14
  2000	Montana	45	Eastern Illinois	13
  2001	Eastern Illinois	43	Northern Iowa	49
  2002	Western Illinois Western Illinois Leathernecks The Western Illinois Leathernecks are the teams and athletes that represent Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, Illinois, in NCAA Division I sports. The school's primary conference affiliation is with The Summit League; its football team is a member of the Division I FCS Missouri...	48	Eastern Illinois	9
  2005	Eastern Illinois	6	Southern Illinois Southern Illinois Salukis The Southern Illinois Salukis are the varsity athletic teams representing Southern Illinois University. The nickname comes from the saluki, the royal dog of Egypt and the Persian greyhound, which ties into the fact that southern Illinois has had the nickname "Little Egypt" for just under 200...	21
  2006 http://www.eiu.edu/~sprtinfo/sports/football/results.htm	Eastern Illinois	13	Illinois State Illinois State Redbirds The Illinois State Redbirds are the athletic teams that represent Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Teams play at the NCAA Division I level . The football team competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference while most other teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference...	24
  2007	Southern Illinois Southern Illinois Salukis The Southern Illinois Salukis are the varsity athletic teams representing Southern Illinois University. The nickname comes from the saluki, the royal dog of Egypt and the Persian greyhound, which ties into the fact that southern Illinois has had the nickname "Little Egypt" for just under 200...	30	Eastern Illinois	11
  2009	Southern Illinois Southern Illinois Salukis The Southern Illinois Salukis are the varsity athletic teams representing Southern Illinois University. The nickname comes from the saluki, the royal dog of Egypt and the Persian greyhound, which ties into the fact that southern Illinois has had the nickname "Little Egypt" for just under 200...	48	Eastern Illinois	7

• Track
  Track and field
  Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
  
  

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

• Cross-Country

Team Championships:

• 1968 - NCAA College Division National Champions
• 1969 - NCAA College Division National Champions
• 1977 - NCAA National Champions

Notable former athletes

• Tim Bogar
  Tim Bogar
  Timothy Paul Bogar is a former Major League Baseball infielder. Currently, Bogar is the third base coach for the Boston Red Sox.-Playing career:...
  
  , retired Major League Baseball
  Major League Baseball
  Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
  
   infielder
• Chris Szarka, Canadian Football League fullback
• Ryan Shuff, Arena Football League Houston Thunderbears
  Houston Thunderbears
  The Houston ThunderBears were a team in the Arena Football League that operated from 1996-2001. The team was based in Houston, Texas. Home games were played at the Compaq Center. The team was known as the Texas Terror their first two years in existence before changing the name to the Thunderbears...
  
  , Buffalo Destroyers
• Tony Romo
  Tony Romo
  Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
  
  , Dallas Cowboys
  Dallas Cowboys
  The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
  
   Quarterback
  Quarterback
  Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
  
  
• Sean Payton
  Sean Payton
  Patrick Sean Payton is the current head coach of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. Payton was a quarterback at Naperville Central High School and Eastern Illinois University and played professionally in 1987 and 1988...
  
  , Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints
  New Orleans Saints
  The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
  
  
• Brad Childress
  Brad Childress
  Brad "Chilly" Childress is the former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He attended high school at the Marmion Academy in Aurora, Illinois...
  
  , former Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings
  Minnesota Vikings
  The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
  
  
• Mike Shanahan
  Mike Shanahan
  Michael Edward "Mike" Shanahan is the 28th and current head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Shanahan also holds the title of Vice President of Football Operations with the Redskins, giving him full control over player personnel with the team. Shanahan previously...
  
  , Head Coach of the Washington Redskins
  Washington Redskins
  The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
  
  
• Kevin Duckworth
  Kevin Duckworth
  Kevin Jerome Duckworth was an American professional basketball player at center in the National Basketball Association. A native of Illinois, he played college basketball at Eastern Illinois University before being drafted in 1986 in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs...
  
  , former NBA All-Star forward
• Kyle Hill
  Kyle Hill
  Kyle Eric Hill is an American professional basketball player who was picked by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2001 NBA Draft with the 44th overall draft pick. Hill's NBA rights were then traded by the Mavericks shortly after the draft to the Houston Rockets.-Amateur career:Hill attended and played...
  
  , basketball player & professional basketball player in Europe
  Europe
  Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
  
  
• Henry Domercant
  Henry Domercant
  Henry Domercant is an American-born Bosnian professional basketball player playing in Europe. In July 2011 he signed 2-year contract with UNICS Kazan.-Junior & amateur careers:...
  
  , basketball player & professional basketball player in Europe
  Europe
  Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
  
  
• Marty Pattin
  Marty Pattin
  Martin William "Marty" Pattin is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched for the California Angels , Seattle Pilots , Milwaukee Brewers , Boston Red Sox , and the Kansas City Royals...
  
  , former MLB baseball pitcher, California Angels, Seattle Pilots
  Seattle Pilots
  The Seattle Pilots were an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington for one season, . The Pilots played home games at Sick's Stadium and were a member of the West Division of Major League Baseball's American League...
  
  , Milwaukee Brewers
  Milwaukee Brewers
  The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
  
  , Boston Red Sox
  Boston Red Sox
  The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
  
   & Kansas City Royals
  Kansas City Royals
  The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
  
  
• Micah Rucker
  Micah Rucker
  Micah Rucker is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Chicago Rush. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Eastern Illinois.-College:At Eastern Illinois, Rucker caught 49 passes for 966 yards and 11...
  
  , former Pittsburgh Steelers
  Pittsburgh Steelers
  The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
  
   and Kansas City Chiefs
  Kansas City Chiefs
  The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
  
  , Currently with the New York Giants
  New York Giants
  The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
   Wide Receiver
  Wide receiver
  A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
  
  
• Kyle O'Brien, Hanson's, Team USA Marathon Runner
• Pierre Walters
  Pierre Walters
  Pierre Walters is an American football defensive end for the Spokane Shock of the Arena Football League. Previously, he was an American football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2009. The Chiefs cut him...
  
  , NFL Linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs
  Kansas City Chiefs
  The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
  
  
• Bobby Catchings, basketball player & professional basketball player in Europe
  Europe
  Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
  
  
• Ray D'Alessio, Sports Anchor CNN Headline News
  CNN Headline News
  HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
  
  

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!

External

• Official athletics website