First season 1895 Field surface Artificial Turf NCAA division Division I FCS Division Division I (NCAA) League Division I (NCAA) | Seating capacity 10,000 All-time record 491–514–41 (.489) Arena/Stadium O'Brien Stadium Colors Blue, Gray | |
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Rival Indiana State Sycas football | ||
The Eastern Illinois Panthers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Eastern Illinois University located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Ohio Valley Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1895. The team plays its home games at the 10,000 seat O'Brien Stadium.
Contents
Classifications
Conference memberships
Mid-America Classic
The Mid-America Classic is the rivalry game between the Illinois State and Eastern Illinois. The rivalry began in 1901 and is the oldest in the state of Illinois. The two teams have played 103 times in total, with Illinois State holding a 51-40-9 advantage in the all-time series. With the 100th game in the series on the horizon, representatives from both schools met in the spring and developed the Mid-America Classic renaming for the rivalry. The two schools also collaborated on a traveling trophy, which holds plaques with the results of the previous 100 games in the series and has room for results of future games in the series.
Notable former players
Notable alumni include:
National championships
Eastern Illinois has made two appearances in the NCAA Division II National Championship Game. The Panthers defeated Delaware 10–9, in 1978, and later lost to Cal Poly, 13–21, in 1980.