1987 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team

1987 Eastern Illinois Panthers football
1987 Eastern Illinois Panthers football
Conference	Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference
Record	5–6 (3–3 GCAC)
Head coach	Bob Spoo (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Kit Cartwright (1st season)
Home stadium	O'Brien Stadium
	Seasons ← 1986 1988 →

The 1987 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team represented Eastern Illinois University as a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (GCAC) during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Panthers played their home games at O'Brien Stadium in Charleston, Illinois. Led by first-year head coach Bob Spoo, Eastern Illinois compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 3–3 in conference play, tying for third in the GCAC.

1987 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf.					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 4 Northern Iowa $^	6	–	0	–	0	10	–	4	–	0
Western Illinois	5	–	1	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Eastern Illinois	3	–	3	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
SW Missouri State	3	–	3	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Indiana State	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Southern Illinois	2	–	4	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Illinois State	0	–	6	–	0	3	–	7	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	at San Jose State*		Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	L 3–24		^[1]
September 12	at Northeast Missouri State*		Stokes Stadium Kirksville, MO	W 16–10		^[2]
September 19	No. T–14 Illinois State		O'Brien Field Charleston, IL (rivalry)	W 15–9		^[3]
September 26	at Liberty*		City Stadium Lynchburg, VA	W 17–14	6,100	^[4]
October 3	at Akron*	No. 14	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	L 10–24	12,524	^[5]
October 10	No. 13 Western Illinois		O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	L 12–21	2,413	^[6]
October 17	Indiana State		O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	W 20–14	9,734	^[7]
October 24	Southwest Missouri State		O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	W 7–3	1,203	^[8]
October 31	at No. 10 Northern Iowa		UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	L 17–19	13,203	^[9]
November 7	Southern Illinois		O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	L 27–32	11,485	^[10]
November 14	at No. 14 Western Kentucky*		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	L 15–30	8,000	^[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

↑ "San Jose State 24, Eastern Illinois 3". The Palm Beach Post. September 6, 1987 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Ehmke boots Eastern". Herald and Review. September 13, 1987 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "QB sparks Eastern past Illinois State". Southern Illinoisan. September 20, 1987 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Eastern nips Liberty, 17–14". Herald and Review. September 27, 1987. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Akron zips past Eastern Illinois, 24–10". The Plain Dealer. October 4, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Western Ill. rolls past Eastern Ill". Chicago Tribune. October 11, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Eastern Illinois tops Indiana St". Southern Illinoisan. October 18, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Eastern's 2-minute plan works". Herald and Review. October 25, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Being lucky nets Panthers a good win, 19–17". The Gazette. November 1, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "SIU shocks Eastern". Southern Illinoisan. November 8, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "WKU warms up to winning season". Messenger-Inquirer. November 15, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "EIU Football Online Guide, 2019" (PDF). Eastern Illinois athletics. Retrieved February 12, 2020.