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The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the intercollegiate athletic programs of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) located in
Charleston, Illinois Charleston is a city in, and the county seat of, Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,286, as of the 2020 census. The city is home to Eastern Illinois University and has close ties with its neighbor, Mattoon. Both are ...
, United States. The Panthers athletic program is a member of the
Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate 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 Cham ...
(OVC) and competes at the
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
level in the Football Championship Subdivision. EIU's colors are
blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
and
gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...
. Selected as the team mascot in 1930, EIU's
panther Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **'' Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. *** Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in So ...
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 The Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) was a college athletic conference that existed from 1908 to 1970 in the United States. At one time the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, or IIAC, was a robust league that clai ...
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 The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...
now the
Summit League The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...
till 1996. In 1996 they joined the Ohio Valley Conference which is their current conference. A member of the
Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate 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 Cham ...
since 1996, Eastern Illinois University sponsors teams in ten men's and ten women's
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
sanctioned sports. The Panthers' men's soccer team and men's and women's swimming teams compete as associate members of the
Summit League The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...
since those sports are not sponsored by the OVC. The OVC merged its men's tennis league into that of the
Horizon League The Horizon League is an 11-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region. The Horizon League founded in 1979 as the Midw ...
after the 2021–22 school year, with all OVC teams in that sport, including Eastern Illinois, becoming Horizon associates.


Sports sponsored


Baseball

*1973 NCAA Division II World Series Third Place. *1978 NCAA Division II World Series Fifth Place. *1981 NCAA Division II World Series Runner-Up. The Panther baseball team has appeared in two
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the eight-team Men's College World Series at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebr ...
, in
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
and
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
.


Basketball


Men's basketball

* NAIA Tournament appearances (6) 1947, 1949,
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...
,
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
,
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yug ...
,
1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...
. With a combined record of 7–7. Highest finish, 4th: 1957. * NCAA Division II Tournament appearances each year from
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
to 1980. Highest finish, 3rd:
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...
and 1978. * NCAA Division I Tournament appearances (1992 and 2001). *All time tournament results


Women’s basketball

* NCAA Division I Tournament appearance 1988.


Men's cross country

Team Championships: *1968 – NCAA College Division National Champions *1969 – NCAA College Division National Champions *1977 – NCAA Division II National Champions


Football

* 1978 Division II National Champion * 1980 Division II National Runner-Up. * NCAA Division I Football Championship tournament appearances: 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015. *Conference Titles: 1912, 1913, 1914, 1928, 1948, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013 * All time tournament results


Men’s golf

National Finishes: *1969 - NAIA 4th Place *1972 - NAIA 8th Place Individual National Champions: *1972 - Gaylord Burrows - NAIA


Soccer


Men's soccer

* 1969 – NAIA National Champion. * NCAA Division II runners-up in
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
, 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.


Softball

The Panther softball team has appeared in two
Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...
, in 1971 and 1974.


Men’s swimming and diving

Individual National Champions: *1973 - Bob Thomas, NCAA Division II 200 yard backstroke *1973 - Bob Thomas, NCAA Division II 400 yard IM *1973 - Jon Mayfield, NCAA Division II 200 yard breaststroke *1973 - NCAA Division II 400 yard medley (Bob Thomas, Jon Mayfield, Dan Cole, Dave Toler) *1974 - Bob Thomas, NCAA Division II 200 yard backstroke *1974 - Bob Thomas, NCAA Division II 400 yard IM *1974 - Jon Mayfield, NCAA Division II 200 yard breaststroke *1974 - NCAA Division II 400 yard medley (Bob Thomas, Jon Mayfield, Brian Forsberg, Dave Toler) *1975 - Jon Mayfield, NCAA Division II 200 yard breaststroke


Track and field

Team Championships (men's): *1974 – NCAA Division II National Champions *1976 — NCAA Division II National Runner-up 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 — 4x400 Relay, Women’s Track & Field AIAW II *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


Volleyball

The Eastern Illinois volleyball team has been the Ohio Valley Conference champions in 1998 and co champions in 2004. The volleyball team has made one NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament appearance in 2001.


Athletic facilities


Current facilities

Facilities are housed on the west side of the EIU campus between 4th Street and Grant Avenue. *
Coaches Stadium at Monier Field Coaches Stadium at Monier Field is a baseball venue in Charleston, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Eastern Illinois Panthers baseball team of the NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference. It has a capacity of 500 spectators. Eastern I ...
— Baseball *Darling Courts — Men's and women's tennis *Lakeside Field — Men's and women's soccer *
Lantz Arena Lantz Arena is a 5,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Charleston, Illinois. It is home to the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) Panthers men's and women's basketball teams and to the women's volleyball team. Completed in 1967, the Lantz Arena Complex ...
— Men's and women's basketball, Volleyball *Lantz Field House — Men's and women's indoor track and field * O’Brien Field — Football, Men's and women's outdoor track and field *Ray Padovan Pool — Men's and women's swimming and diving *Tom Woodall Panther Trail — Men's and women's cross country *Williams Field — Softball 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

* Pemberton Hall — Men’s Basketball * McAfee Gymnasium — Men’s Basketball *Schahrer Field — Football (1899–1948)


Club and intramural facilities

*Student Rec Center — Intramural sports


Notable former athletes


Baseball

* Tim Bogar, retired
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
infielder *
Zach Borenstein Zachary Borenstein (born July 23, 1990) is an American professional left-handed-hitting baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. Borenstein attended Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois, where he was a ''Chicago Tribune'' and ''Chicag ...
(born 1990), baseball outfielder *
Randy Myers Randall Kirk Myers (born September 19, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Bl ...
, former American Major League Baseball pitcher with the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
, Cincinnati Reds,
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
, Chicago Cubs,
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
and the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
between 1985 and 1998. 4x
MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
. *
Marty Pattin Martin William Pattin (April 6, 1943 – October 3, 2018) was an American professional baseball player who appeared in 475 games in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher. He pitched for the California Angels (1968), Seattle Pilots / ...
, former
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
baseball pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a ...
for the California Angels, Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers,
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
, and Kansas City Royals *
Stan Royer Stanley Dean Royer (born August 31, 1967 in Olney, Illinois) is a former third baseman/first baseman in Major League Baseball who played from through for the St. Louis Cardinals (1991–1994) and Boston Red Sox (1994). Listed at 6' 3", 195  ...
, MLB baseball player for the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
and
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
* Kevin Seitzer, retired all-star
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player


Basketball

* Henry Domercant, former professional basketball player in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
*
Kevin Duckworth Kevin Jerome Duckworth (April 1, 1964 – August 25, 2008) was an American professional basketball player who played as center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of Illinois, he played college basketball at Eastern Illinois U ...
, former NBA All-Star forward * Kyle Hill, former professional basketball player in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
* Jay Taylor, former NBA player for the
New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...


Football

* Brad Childress, former head coach of the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
*
Jimmy Garoppolo James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
,
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
for the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
* Jeff Gossett, former NFL punter for the LA/Oakland Raiders and 3 other NFL teams * Kamu Grugier-Hill,
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
for the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
* Alexander Hollins, wide receiver for the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
* John Jurkovic, former NFL Defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers and
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
* Tim Kelly offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans *
Ray McElroy Raymond Edward McElroy (born July 31, 1972) is a former professional American football cornerback who played for six seasons for the Indianapolis Colts, the Chicago Bears, and the Detroit Lions in the National Football League. Attended Proviso ...
, former NFL
Cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
for the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears * Sean Payton, head coach of the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
and winner of Super Bowl
XLIV 44 (forty-four) is the natural number following 43 and preceding 45. In mathematics Forty-four is a repdigit and palindromic number in decimal. It is the fourth happy number, and the fourth octahedral number. Since the greatest prime factor ...
* Ted Petersen, retired NFL Offensive/Defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers,
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
, and Indianapolis Colts *
Tony Romo Antonio Ramiro Romo (born April 21, 1980) is an American sportscaster and former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Eastern Illino ...
, former
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
for the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
and now a sportscaster * Micah Rucker, former wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers,
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...
, and New York Giants; also played in the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
*
Mike Shanahan Michael Edward Shanahan (born August 24, 1952) is a former American football coach, best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. During his fourteen seasons with the Broncos, he le ...
, former head coach of the
Los Angeles Raiders The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural 1960 season to the 1981 season and then agai ...
,
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
and
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
and 3 times Super Bowl winner. *
Chris Szarka Chris "Canuck Truck" Szarka (born February 12, 1975) is a former Canadian Football League fullback. He spent his entire professional football career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He also served as a member of the Regina City Council. High ...
, retired
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
fullback * Pierre Walters, former NFL
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
for the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...


Handball

* Tim Dykstra, former handball player who competed in the
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...
.


MMA

* Matt Hughes, 2x NCAA All-American wrestler, former
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
Welterweight Champion *
Kenny Robertson Kenneth Duane Robertson (born February 14, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional mixed martial artist since 2008, he has also competed for the UFC and Bellator. Before MMA In high school he wrestled for Metamora Township ...
, 4x NCAA Division I qualifier for wrestling; current
mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...
for the
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
*
Mike Russow Michael Earl Russow (born November 9, 1976) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division. Having made his professional debut in 1998, Russow has formerly competed for the UFC, Adrenaline MMA ...
, current
mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...
* Matt Veach, current
mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...


Rugby

*
Lauren Doyle Lauren Doyle (born February 23, 1991) is an American rugby sevens player. She won a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games as a member of the United States women's national rugby sevens team and represented the United States in Rugby seve ...
, represented the United States of America for
Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics was held over six days in August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. The 2016 Olympics was the debut for rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics, though rugby union was last played at the 1924 games. The usual laws of ...


Soccer

*
Schellas Hyndman Schellas Hyndman (born November 4, 1951) is a retired soccer coach. He was previously head coach of FC Dallas in Major League Soccer. Despite having a limited career as a professional athlete, Hyndman is one of the most successful college socc ...
, former head coach of soccer's
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the le ...
*
Matt Bobo Matthew "Matt" Bobo (born January 6, 1977 in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American soccer player who last played for Carolina RailHawks in the North American Soccer League. Career College and Amateur Bobo attended the University of Wisconsin– ...
, former North American Soccer League player * John Baretta, former North American Soccer League goalkeeper * George Gorleku, former
Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–92) Major Indoor Soccer League has been the name of three different American professional indoor soccer leagues: *Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992), known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League *Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2 ...
player * LeBaron Hollimon, former
National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) The National Professional Soccer League was a professional indoor soccer league in the US and Canada. It was originally called the American Indoor Soccer Association. History In November 1983, a Kalamazoo, Michigan-based group called Soccer Le ...
player *
Damien Kelly Damien Kelly is an Irish retired American soccer forward who played professionally in the United Soccer League, American Indoor Soccer Association and Southwest Independent Soccer League. Youth Kelly attended Eastern Illinois University where ...
, former
National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) The National Professional Soccer League was a professional indoor soccer league in the US and Canada. It was originally called the American Indoor Soccer Association. History In November 1983, a Kalamazoo, Michigan-based group called Soccer Le ...
player * Mark Simpson, former goalkeeper and assistant coach for
D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...
* Jason Thompson, former player for
D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...
* Glen Tourville, former
Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–92) Major Indoor Soccer League has been the name of three different American professional indoor soccer leagues: *Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992), known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League *Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2 ...
player


Track

*
John Craft John Melvin Craft (born March 24, 1947, in Laurel, Mississippi) is an American former triple jumper who placed 5th in the Men's triple jump at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He attended Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a ...
, placed 5th in the Men’s triple jump at the
1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...
*
Sandy Osei-Agyemang Sandy Osei-Agyemang (born 19 July 1949) is a Ghanaian former sprinter who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: Münch ...
, advanced to the second round in the Men's 100 metres and Men's 4 × 100 metres relay at the
1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...
*
Dan Steele Dan Steele (born March 20, 1969) is an American bobsledder and track and field athlete who competed from the early 1990s to 2002. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the four-man event at Salt Lake City in 2002. He was re ...
, track All-American, 400-meter National Champion, and Bronze Medalist at the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...
*
Darrin Steele Darrin Steele (born March 20, 1969) is an American bobsledder. He competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 2002 Winter Olympics. A native of Sherrard, Illinois, Steele graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in economics. S ...
, competed at the
1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
and the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control Sports clubs established in 1895 1895 establishments in Illinois