Įastern Illinois was a member of the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1912 to 1970. History Ohio Valley Conference logo in Eastern Illinois colorsĮastern 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. The Panthers also won the 1969 NAIA men's soccer title. Panther teams have won five NCAA national championships in three sports.

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. 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. The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the intercollegiate athletic programs of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Sports teams of a university or college Eastern Illinois Panthers