EIU ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME   |  Photo Gallery ... coming soon (by Sandy King)

Eastern Illinois inducted six individuals into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday evening (Sept. 12) during the ceremony at the McKenna-Yost Convention Center in Mattoon.

This year's group included one longtime friend of the athletics program along with five former standout athletes whose accomplishments include multiple All-American honors, multiple Conference Player of the Year honors, multiple conference championships and several professional careers following their time at Eastern Illinois.

LISTED BELOW ARE SHORT BIOS ON EACH INDUCTEE (Athletes are listed with hometown and high school)…

Gerard Byrne (Ardsley, New York / Ardsley HS / Track & Field 1975-78) was one of Eastern Illinois multiple-time track & field All-Americans during a successful stint for the Panthers at the NCAA Division II level in the 1970's.  Byrne twice earned first team All-America honors in the pole vault placing third at the 1976 NCAA National Championships and fifth at the 1977 National Championships.  He was a former school record holder in the event and following graduation competed in the 1981 British Summer League.  Later in life he continued to compete at the Master Pole Vault Level.
 
Jarrod Macklin (Peoria, Illinois / Peoria Manual HS / Track & Field 1999-02) was twice named the Ohio Valley Conference Athlete of the Year for track and field winning the honor in 2001 for Outdoor Track and in 2002 for Indoor Track.  He would lead Eastern Illinois to a combined seven OVC indoor and outdoor track team championships during his time as a Panther.  Running in the 200 meter and 400 meter events, Macklin was a seven-time OVC Champion in the two events over four seasons covering both indoor and outdoor track.  At the end of his career Macklin was second on the school's Top 10 list for the indoor 400 meter run and held the school record in the outdoor 400 meter until this past spring (2025).

Brad Peters (St. Peters, Missouri / St. Dominic HS / Soccer 2005-08) was one of the top goal scorers in the Missouri Valley Conference during his time on the pitch at Eastern Illinois.  He led the conference in both goals and scoring three times (2006-08) and finished fifth on EIU's all-time career goals chart with 33.  He was a three-time first team All-Conference selection and twice earned All-Region honors (2006 and 2007).   In addition to ranking in the career top five for goals scored at EIU he finished in the top ten in both career assists (10th) and career points (7th).
 
Pierre Walters (Forest Park, Illinois / Westchester St. Joseph HS / Football 2004-08) was a dominant defensive end for the Panthers football team in the mid-2000's twice earning All-America honors in 2007 (3rd team) and 2008 (2nd team).  Walters was a three-time All-OVC selection and a starter on the defensive line on three straight FCS playoff teams from 2005-07.  He currently ranks No. 4 on the EIU career tackles for loss list and after signing as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs spent three years in the NFL.
 
Britney Whitehead (Elgin, Illinois / Larkin HS / Cross Country and Track & Field 2008-13) was a standout member of both the Eastern Illinois cross country and track & field programs during her time with the Panthers.  She was a member of eight different OVC championship teams winning in cross country, indoor track (3) and outdoor track (4).  She was a six-time first team All-OVC selection in indoor and outdoor track while earning first team All-OVC honors in cross country.  She twice qualified for the NCAA West Regional in the steeplechase and holds the school record in both the 1,500 meter run and steeplechase events.  She ranks in the top five in four other events between cross country and indoor track.
 
Jamie Pilson (Mattoon, Illinois / Friend of Athletics) is a local business owner and former Eastern Illinois football player that has been a staunch support of the EIU Athletic program and Panther Club for more than 25 years.  As a former student-athlete and local business owner in both Mattoon and Charleston, Pilson helped create and has led the EIU Football Champions Club which has raised money for the program and facility updates.  During the summer of 2024 he was a key backer in EIU's Night of Champions fundraising event.