2009 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team

2009 Eastern Illinois Panthers football
OVC champion
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 19
Record8–4 (6–2 OVC)
Head coach
Home stadiumO'Brien Field
Seasons
← 2008
2010 →
2009 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 16 Jacksonville State   6 – 1     8 – 3  
No. 19 Eastern Illinois $^   6 – 2     8 – 4  
Tennessee Tech   5 – 3     6 – 5  
Eastern Kentucky   5 – 3     5 – 6  
UT Martin   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Tennessee State   3 – 4     4 – 7  
Austin Peay   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Murray State   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Southeast Missouri State   1 – 7     2 – 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • Jacksonville State had the best record in conference play, but was not eligible for the FCS playoffs because of APR violations.
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2009 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team represented Eastern Illinois University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The team was led by 22nd-year head coach Bob Spoo and played their home games at O'Brien Field in Charleston, Illinois. The Panthers finished the season with an 8–4 record overall and a 6–2 record in conference play, making them conference champions. The team received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they lost to Southern Illinois in the first round.[1] Eastern Illinois was ranked No. 19 in The Sports Network's postseason ranking of NCAA Division I FCS teams.[2]

The team retired former quarterback Tony Romo's jersey number before their October 17 game against Tennessee Tech.[3]

  1. ^ "Football Record Book" (PDF). Eastern Illinois University Athletics. p. 53. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "Sports Network's Final 2009 FCS College Football Poll". The Sports Network. December 21, 2009. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tennessee Tech was invoked but never defined (see the help page).