2015-16 EIU Year In Review - No. 5

EIU Football Makes Return To FCS Playoffs

7/20/2016 12:55:00 PM

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** During the month of July EIUpanthers.com will take a look back at 13 moments, events or performances that helped shape the 2015-16 school year. **

Eastern Illinois football returned to the FCS playoffs this past season as the Panthers posted a 7-5 overall record with a 7-1 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Panthers were an at-large selection to the 24-team FCS playoff field finishing second in the OVC race behind eventual national runner-up Jacksonville State.

EIU made its 16th FCS playoff appearance which ranks sixth all-time in FCS history. It was the Panthers tenth FCS playoff appearance since 2000 with only Montana, New Hampshire and Appalachian State having made more FCS playoff appearances than the Panthers in that time span.

EIU finished the season ranked 23rd in the FCS Coaches poll and 25th in the STATS FCS Media poll.

Head coach Kim Dameron became the fifth different EIU football coach to guide the Panthers to the FCS playoffs.

EIU had three players earn first team All-OVC honors in seniors Dino Fanti, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Jourdan Wickliffe. Fanti was the co-OVC Defensive Player of the Year. Grugier-Hill was a sixth round NFL Draft pick by the New England Patriots. Wickliffe had a free agent tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles.

EIU Football Home Page

2015-16 EIU Year In Review
No. 13 - Panthers Welcome Five New Head Coaches
No. 12 – EIU Places 2nd In OVC Commissioner's Cup
No. 11 – Wireman Sets Softball Strike Out Record
No. 10 - McInerney Posts Best XC Season In More Than A Decade
No. 9 - Grugier-Hill Drafted By New England Patriots
No. 8 - Knapp Sets School & OVC Records In High Jump
No. 7 - Fanti Named OVC Defensive Player of the Year
No. 6 - Nick Smith Named NCAA Byers Award Finalist

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