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CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois football, the 2009 champion of the Ohio Valley Conference, has been selected as the inaugural Team of the Year winner for 2009-10 by The Daily Eastern News.
The Panthers bounced back from a 5-7 campaign in 2008 to make their 13th NCAA FCS playoff appearance. Eastern claimed its fifth OVC championship in its 14 years in the league and was the only conference school to defeat Jacksonville State this season.
The Panthers opened the season 4-0 en route to posting an 8-4 record and representing the OVC in the FCS Playoffs. Earlier this month, Otis Hudson was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft and Chris Campbell and Austin Signor have both been given opportunties to continue their careers at the next level.
The Daily Eastern News is EIU's student newspaper. Eastern Illinois is the only school in the OVC with a daily a student newspaper and has the second smallest enrollment of any university in the country with a daily student paper.
Quick Program Turn Around Turns Some Heads
By Collin Whitchurch >>> Complete Story
The year 2008 was nothing short of a disaster for the Eastern football program.
Coming off three straight postseason appearances, the Panthers struggled toward the end of that nightmarish season, losing five of seven down the stretch to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Needless to say, change was needed.
And with new faces at quarterback and running back, as well as a revamped and experienced defense, that's exactly what the Panthers got.
A 6-2 Ohio Valley Conference record, outright conference title and a plethora of individual awards later, the program did a complete 360-degree turn.
That's why the Eastern football team is the inaugural Daily Eastern News Team of the Year.
"This is a great honor for our program," head coach Bob Spoo said. "Our team had a good season and the players are deserving of this honor."
The Panthers came out on fire in 2009, reeling off four straight wins to open the season, the most by a team since 1995. >>> Read the rest at DENnews.com
2009-10 Honorable Mention
Women's Basketball
Women's Rugby
Men's & Women's Track & Field
