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) and competes at the NCAA Division I 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. Panther teams have won five NCAA national championships in three sports. The Panthers also won the 1969 NAIA men's soccer title.

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. 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. 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.

Sports sponsored

Baseball

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

Basketball

Men's basketball

Women’s basketball

Men's cross country

Team Championships: National Finishes:

Football

Men’s golf

National Finishes: Individual National Champions:

Soccer

Men's soccer

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.

Softball

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

Men’s swimming and diving

National Finishes: Individual National Champions:

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.

Athletic facilities

Current facilities

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

Former facilities

Club and intramural facilities

Notable former athletes

Baseball

Basketball

Football

Handball

MMA

Rugby

Soccer

Track