Eastern Illinois
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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The Eastern Illinois Panthers football team is NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team that represents the Eastern Illinois University in the Ohio Valley Conference. Eastern Illinois made its college football debut under Coach Otis Caldwell in a humbling 0-46 defeat to Illinois College on 1899. The Panthers rebounded with its first ever win the following year, shutting out Westfield HS, 18-0. Two-and-a-half decades after its debut, EIU left the independent scene to be part of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1925-49. EIU's first ever major accomplishment in football happened in 1928, claiming a share of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship after finishing with a conference-best 5-0-1 record. The Panthers however slipped down the standings from then on, finishing as low as a winless 0-7 win-loss card in 1941. EIU slightly recovered its bearings in 1948 under Coach Maynard O'Brien after posting seven wins in ten games (4-0 in conference play), giving the team its second Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship. That year also marked the first time the Panthers participated in a College Bowl Game, bowing to Illinois Wesleyan 0-6 in the Corn Bowl. It took another twenty years for the Panthers to resurge into the title picture as the team coached by Darrel Mudra was able to hurdle off UC Davis in the quarterfinals, Youngstown State in the semis, and Delaware in the finals of the Division II Playoffs to win EIU's first national title. In 1980, two years after joining the Mid-Continent Conference and winning the Division II title, the Panthers were back on track to win the nationals but unfortunately, the team fell eight points short (13-21) of their objective, losing in the Zia Bowl Division II Championship Game to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and instead settled for its first Mid-Continent Conference Championship. EIU had quite a success in the 1980's, appearing in four Division I-AA Playoff Games (EIU was elevated into Division I-AA status on 1981) in 1982-83, '86 and '89 and making it into the quarterfinals in three of those four occassions. EIU also won six conference titles in the 1980's, including five straight (1980-84, all in the Mid-Continent Conf). The team joined the Gateway Football Conference from 1985-95 and won two GFC titles in that stretch (1986 and '95). The team became an expansion of the OVC in 1996 and as of 2006, have won the OVC titles in four occassions, sharing the championship with Murray State in 2002 and with Tennessee-Martin in 2006.
As of 2006, the Panthers have won one national and 13 conference titles, with two Bowl Game (both losses) and eleven playoff appearances. EIU has also made it 12 times in the Final Division I-AA Polls, reaching as high as #3 (1986) and as low as #22 (1997 and 2000).
Contents |
[edit] Ranking
- Have not ranked in the Major College Final Polls.
| Year | Record | NCAA Rank | Sports Network Rank | USA/ESPN Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 11-1-1 | 5 | ||
| 1983 | 9-3-0 | 6 | ||
| 1986 | 11-2-0 | 3 | ||
| 1989 | 9-4-0 | 15 | ||
| 1995 | 10-2-0 | 12 | ||
| 1996 | 8-4-0 | 16 | ||
| 1997 | 8-3-0 | 21 | 22 | |
| 2000 | 8-4-0 | 17 | 22 | |
| 2001 | 9-2-0 | 9 | 9 | |
| 2002 | 8-4-0 | 13 | 12 | |
| 2005 | 9-3-0 | 16 | 15 | |
| 2006 | 8-5-0 | 15 | ||
| 2007 | 8-4-0 | 18 |
[edit] Scouting Report
| Category | OVC Rank | Nat'l Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring Offense | 5 | 33 |
| Scoring Defense | 4 | 59 |
| Total Offense | 6 | 50 |
| Total Defense | 2 | 48 |
| Turnover Margin | 4 | 55 |
| Pass Efficiency Defense | 6 | 76 |
| Kickoff Returns | 4 | 20 |
| Net Punting | 1 | 5 |
| Passing Offense | 5 | 67 |
| Passing Defense | 5 | 67 |
| Passing Efficiency | 2 | 31 |
| Punt Returns | 10 | 114 |
| Rushing Offense | 4 | 36 |
| Rushing Defense | 2 | 44 |
[edit] Championships
National Championships
- 1978 - NCAA Division II National Champions
Conference Championships
- 1928 - Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Co-Champions
- 1948 - Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions
- 1980 - Mid-Continent Conference Champions
- 1981 - Mid-Continent Conference Co-Champions
- 1982 - Mid-Continent Conference Co-Champions
- 1983 - Mid-Continent Conference Champions
- 1984 - Mid-Continent Conference Co-Champions
- 1986 - Gateway Football Conference Champions
- 1995 - Gateway Football Conference Co-Champions
- 2001 - Ohio Valley Conference Champions
- 2002 - Ohio Valley Conference Co-Champions
- 2005 - Ohio Valley Conference Champions
- 2006 - Ohio Valley Conference Co-Champions
[edit] EIU University Bowl History
- No Major Bowl Games Played
| Year | Bowl Game | Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Zia Bowl - Division II Championship Game | Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo | L | 13-21 |
| 1948 | Corn Bowl | Illinois Wesleyan | L | 0-6 |
[edit] Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08.28.08 | Central Michigan | Mount Pleasant, Mich. | L, 12-31 |
| 09.06.08 | Illinois | Champaign, Ill. | L, 21-47 |
| 09.13.08 | Indiana State | Charleston, Ill. | |
| 09.20.08 | Illinois State | Normal, Ill. | |
| 09.27.08 | Jacksonville State | Charleston, Ill. | |
| 10.09.08 | Tennessee-Martin | Martin, Tenn. | |
| 10.18.08 | Southeast Missouri | Charleston, Ill. | |
| 10.25.08 | Eastern Kentucky | Richmond, Ky. | |
| 11.01.08 | Murray State | Charleston, Ill. | |
| 11.08.08 | Tennessee State | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| 11.15.08 | Austin Peay | Charleston, Ill. | |
| 11.22.08 | Tennessee Tech | Cookeville, Tenn. |
[edit] Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown | Prev. School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Arrington | DB | 5-11 | 205 | Sr. | Bloomington, IL | Bloomington |
| 2 | Shawn Williams | WR | 5-10 | 170 | Fr. | Pompano Beach, FL | Coconut Creek |
| 3 | Ke'Andre Sams | SS | 5-11 | 202 | Sr. | Lakeland, FL | Jenkins |
| 4 | Bodie Reeder | QB | 6-0 | 208 | Jr. | Ivesdale, IL | Mahomet-Seymour/Wyoming |
| 5 | Chevon Walker | RB | 5-10 | 197 | So. | Fort Myers, FL | Riverdale/Florida |
| 6 | Carlos Reyna | FS | 6-0 | 185 | Fr. | Miami, FL | Columbus |
| 7 | Alicus Nozinor | WR | 6-0 | 172 | Sr. | Delray Beach, FL | American Heritage |
| 8 | Travorus Bess | RB | 5-8 | 181 | Sr. | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Plantation |
| 9 | Seymour Loftman | FS | 5-11 | 197 | Jr. | Plantation, FL | American Heritage |
| 10 | Luke Hockaday | QB | 6-2 | 181 | Rf. | Maroa, IL | Maroa-Forsyth |
| 11 | Torie Haywood | WR | 5-11 | 167 | Rf. | Jacksonville, FL | Andrew Jackson |
| 12 | Bobson Mercier | CB | 5-10 | 183 | So. | Lehigh Acres, FL | Lehigh Senior |
| 13 | Von Wise | WR | 6-4 | 210 | Fr. | Cincinnati, OH | Finneytown |
| 14 | D.J. Brown | QB | 6-1 | 188 | Rf. | North Chicago, IL | North Chicago |
| 15 | Quinten Ponius | WR | 5-9 | 201 | Sr. | Rockford, IL | Boylan |
| 16 | Doug Reynolds | QB | 6-2 | 185 | Fr. | Cincinnati, OH | Colerain |
| 18 | Joel Evers | WR | 6-1 | 189 | Jr. | Barrington, IL | Barrington |
| 19 | Adam Kesler | WR | 5-9 | 181 | Jr. | Dewey, IL | Mahomet-Seymour |
| 20 | Ron Jordan | RB | 5-8 | 185 | Jr. | Westerville, OH | Westerville Central |
| 21 | CJ James | CB | 5-8 | 175 | Rf. | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Northeast |
| 22 | Norris Smith | RB | 5-9 | 220 | Sr. | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Ely |
| 23 | Kenny Kinchen | CB | 5-9 | 175 | Fr. | Miami, FL | North Miami Beach |
| 24 | Irvin Jean-Charles | FS | 5-11 | 193 | Sr. | Plantation, FL | Northeast |
| 25 | Shelton Penrow | CB | 5-10 | 172 | Sr. | Margate, FL | Deerfield Beach/Florida International |
| 26 | Rashad Haynes | CB | 5-11 | 175 | So. | Rockledge, FL | Rockledge |
| 27 | Zach Yates | K/P | 5-11 | 176 | Sr. | Idaho Falls, ID | Skyline |
| 28 | Jack Kosinski | LB | 5-11 | 219 | Sr. | Schereville, IN | Griffith |
| 30 | Donovan Johnson | DE | 6-1 | 225 | Sr. | Anniston, AL | Saks/Arkansas |
| 31 | Louis Cairo | DB | 6-1 | 205 | So. | Long Grove, IL | Carmel |
| 32 | Rashaad Rigsby | DE | 6-5 | 227 | So. | Harvey, IL | Hillcrest |
| 33 | Tyler Wilke | K | 6-4 | 223 | Sr. | Highland, IL | Highland |
| 34 | Desmin Ward | RB | 6-0 | 223 | Fr. | Milwaukee, WI | Hamilton |
| 35 | Nathan Shortridge | LB | 5-11 | 205 | So. | Miami Gardens, FL | Piper |
| 36 | Shannon Cobb | LB | 5-11 | 220 | Jr. | Normal, Ill. | Normal Community/Joliet JC |
| 38 | Bobby Earnest | RB | 5-11 | 178 | Fr. | Lemont, IL | Lemont |
| 39 | James Cooper | CB | 5-10 | 175 | Fr. | Maywood, IL/Proviso East | |
| 40 | Nick Martinez | SS | 6-0 | 206 | Rf. | Miami, FL | Dade Christian |
| 41 | Kevin Cook | P | 6-2 | 195 | So. | Libertyville, IL | Carmel |
| 43 | Trent Steckel | TE | 6-2 | 224 | Sr. | Crystal Lake, IL | South |
| 44 | Chip Keys | FB | 6-2 | 259 | Sr. | Paris, IL | Paris |
| 45 | Keagan Robinson | TE | 6-6 | 225 | Fr. | Petersburg, IL | Porta |
| 46 | Gordy Kickels | LB | 6-1 | 210 | Fr. | Lemont, IL | Lemont |
| 47 | Jonathan Ridgner | LB | 6-0 | 190 | Fr. | Chicago, IL | Morgan Park |
| 48 | Austin Signor | K | 6-4 | 230 | Jr. | Urbandale, Iowa | Urbandale Iowa |
| 49 | Sean Campbell | LB | 6-1 | 213 | So. | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | South Plantation |
| 50 | Brady Woolverton | LS | 5-9 | 206 | Sr. | Shelbyville, IL | Shelbyville |
| 51 | Alain Marcelin | LB | 6-0 | 222 | So. | Hollywood, FL | Dade Christian |
| 52 | Haakim Lewis | DL | 6-0 | 280 | Rf. | Oswego, IL | Oswego East |
| 53 | Greg Mahan | DL | 6-3 | 230 | Fr. | Carol Stream, IL | Glenbard North |
| 54 | Perry Maynard | LB | 6-2 | 215 | Fr. | Southlake, TX | Carroll |
| 55 | Cory Leman | LB | 6-0 | 216 | Rf. | Champaign, IL | Central |
| 56 | Nick Nasti | LB | 6-1 | 230 | So. | Plano, IL | Plano |
| 57 | William Hodor | DL | 6-2 | 294 | Sr. | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Hallandale Beach |
| 58 | Alex Luhring | DL | 6-2 | 270 | Fr. | Metamora, IL | Metamora |
| 59 | James Larson | LB | 6-2 | 225 | Sr. | Mundelein, IL | Carmel |
| 60 | Seth Knolhoff | OL | 6-5 | 304 | Rf. | Carlyle, IL | Carlyle |
| 61 | Willie Henderson | C | 6-2 | 270 | Rf. | Lafayette, IN | Lafayette Jefferson |
| 62 | Shane Kelly | DL | 6-4 | 200 | Fr. | Rhinelander, WI | Rhinelander |
| 63 | Otis Hudson | OL | 6-5 | 300 | Jr. | Barrington, Ill. | Barrington/Minnesota |
| 65 | Jason Marcordes | DL | 6-0 | 225 | Jr. | New Lenox, IL | Lincoln-Way Central/UW Eau Claire |
| 66 | Chris Campbell | OL | 6-5 | 327 | Jr. | Chicago, IL | Marshall |
| 67 | Mike O'Neill | OL | 6-2 | 280 | Fr. | Chicago, IL | St. Patrick |
| 68 | Mike Scheibel | OL | 6-3 | 319 | Jr. | Highland, IL | Highland |
| 70 | Chris Vaccaro | C | 6-3 | 285 | Jr. | Kankakee, IL | Bishop McNamara |
| 71 | Kevin Kapellas | OL | 6-4 | 270 | Fr. | Cincinnati, OH | Moeller |
| 72 | Kevin Novacich | OL | 6-2 | 330 | So. | Chicago, Ill. | Mt. Carmel/Southeast Missouri |
| 73 | Pat Phillips | OL | 6-3 | 245 | Fr. | Bolingbrook, Ill. | Bolingbrook |
| 74 | Chaz Millard | OL | 6-3 | 289 | Jr. | St. Charles, IL | North |
| 75 | Kevin Mahoney | OL | 6-6 | 318 | Jr. | Springfield, OH | Springfield North/Bowling Green |
| 76 | Eric Zink | OL | 6-6 | 293 | Fr. | Oshkosh, WI | West |
| 77 | Ryan Grossman | OL | 6-4 | 295 | Rf. | Glen Ellyn, IL | Glenbard South |
| 78 | Eric Rettke | OL | 6-3 | 330 | Rf. | Orland Park, IL | Carl Sandburg |
| 79 | Pierson Sherwood | OL | 6-2 | 305 | Fr. | Miami, Fla. | Carol City |
| 80 | Darien Smith | WR | 6-1 | 195 | Fr. | Chicago, IL | King |
| 81 | Lorence Ricks | WR | 6-1 | 180 | Rf. | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Ft. Lauderdale |
| 83 | Alex Jones | TE | 6-3 | 227 | Rf. | Amboy, IL | Amboy |
| 84 | Taylor Dunn | DE | 6-5 | 240 | Jr. | Alturas, CA | Modoc/College of the Siskiyous |
| 85 | Sean McGrath | TE | 6-5 | 233 | So. | Mundelein, IL | Carmel |
| 86 | Chavar Watkins | WR | 6-2 | 188 | Fr. | Sunrise, FL | Piper |
| 87 | Charles Graves | WR | 6-1 | 179 | So. | Aurora, IL | West Aurora/Upper Iowa Univ. |
| 88 | Mitch Quill | TE | 6-5 | 215 | Fr. | Racine, WI | St. Catherine's |
| 89 | Daniel Vehovic | TE | 6-2 | 235 | So. | Rochester, IL | Rochester |
| 90 | Spyros Bazigos | DT | 5-11 | 297 | Jr. | Glen Ellyn, IL | Glenbard South/Northern Illinois |
| 91 | Pierre Walters | DE | 6-5 | 269 | Sr. | Forest Park, IL | Westchester St. Joseph |
| 92 | D'Angelo McCray | DT | 6-4 | 333 | Rf. | Jacksonville, Fla. | Andrew Jackson/Illinois |
| 93 | Ryan Bennett | DE | 6-3 | 286 | Sr. | Richton Park, IL | Rich South/Iowa Wesleyan |
| 94 | Andre Lima | DT | 6-0 | 275 | Jr. | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Northeast |
| 95 | Nathan Galan | DE | 6-2 | 243 | So. | Lakeland, FL | Evangel Christian |
| 96 | Colin Luczynski | DE | 6-1 | 226 | So. | Frankfort, IL | Lincoln-Way East |
| 97 | Jeff Sobol | DT | 6-3 | 273 | Sr. | Pevely, MO | Herculaneum/Illinois |
| 98 | Perry Burge | DE | 6-2 | 225 | Fr. | Bolingbrook, IL | Bolingbrook |
| 99 | Trevor Frericks | DL | 6-1 | 275 | Jr. | Quincy, IL | Notre Dame/Bowling Green |
[edit] Coaches/Team Officials
- Head Coach: Bob Spoo
- Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator: Roc Bellantoni
- Offensive Coordinator: Roy Wittke
- Special Teams Coach: Justin Lustig
- Offensive Line/Run Coordinator: Jeff Hoover
- Wide Receivers: Mike Lynch
- Linebackers: Forrest Jackson
- Defensive Backs: Bobby Babich
- Offensive Assistant: Antoine Livingston
- Defensive Assistant: Chad Cleveland
[edit] Notable Alumni in NFL
Eastern Illinois Panthers in NFL
- Tony Romo - Dallas Cowboys, QB
- Micah Rucker - Pittsburgh Steelers, WR
[edit] References
- CSTV Division I-AA Rankings
- Eastern Illinois Alumni Tracker
- Eastern Illinois Panthers Football Historical Data
- Eastern Illinois Panthers Wikipedia
- NCAA.org's 2006 OVC Team Report
[edit] External Links
- EIUPanthers.com/Football
- Eastern Illinois Panthers Football on USA Today
- Eastern Illinois University Website
| Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Football Teams |
|---|
| Austin Peay • Eastern Illinois • Eastern Kentucky • Jacksonville State • Murray State • Samford • Southeast Missouri State • Tennessee-Martin • Tennessee State • Tennessee Tech |
