Position: Assistant Coach - Special Teams Coordinator
Years at EIU: 3rd year
Alma Mater: Missouri State, 1989
Tony Gilbert is in his third season as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois on head coach Kim Dameron’s staff., Gilbert ,serves as the Panthers special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach. ,Gilbert reunited with Coach Dameron after playing at Missouri State the late 1980’s when Dameron was a member of the Bears coaching staff.
In 2015 Gilbert helped coach the Panthers back to the FCS playoffs as he was on a defensive staff than ranked third in the FCS in turnovers gained with 31. Gilbert mentored two of the top pass coverage corners in the OVC with Dylan Chatman earning second team All-OVC honors with four interceptions and seven pass break-ups. On the other side Antoine Johnson led the team with 12 pass break-ups ranking in the top ten in the conference. On special teams EIU averaged 19.8 yards per return with one touchdown by Tray Mitchell. The Panthers allowed opponents to only return the ball 17.6 yards per kick.
In his first season at EIU Gilbert coached freshman All-American kicker Nick Bruno as he earned All-OVC Newcomer team honors. ,Bruno was 14-of-16 on field goals ranking 10th in the FCS in field goal percentage. ,Bruno also knocked home 44-of-45 point-after-attempts (PATs). ,In the secondary his unit recorded three interceptions with another 24 pass break-ups. ,Cornerback Antonie Johnson had a team-high pass break-ups and recorded a touchdown on special teams returning a blocked punt for a score.,
Prior to coming to EIU Gilbert spent the 2013 season as the recruiting coordinator, special teams coordinator and secondary coach at NCAA Division II member Southern Arkansas., It was Gilbert’s second stint at SAU after working as the defensive backs coach for the program from 1997-2000., Last season he helped coach two players to second team all conference honors.
In between his stints at Southern Arkansas, Gilbert spent 13 years as an assistant coach with stops at Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas State and Central Arkansas.,
During two seasons as Louisiana Monroe (2011-12), Gilbert helped coach a defensive unit that ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing and total defense., ULM also ranked in the NCAA top 25 in each of those categories.
He spent nine seasons as the defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Arkansas State., While at ASU, Gilbert coached five players that signed NFL contracts and two additional players that signed with the Canadian Football League., Arkansas State had back-to-back years with their pass defense ranked in the top twenty in the FBS.
He served the 2001 and 2002 seasons as the assistant head coach at Central Arkansas., While at UCA Gilbert coached the wide receivers and helped the program rank in the top-10 nationally in passing and total offense., The Bears made their first-ever NCAA Division II playoff appearance in 2001 with Gilbert on the staff.
Gilbert was a four-year starter at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) where he played running back., He graduated in 1989 and earned a master’s from Missouri State in 1991., He signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants in the summer of 1991.,
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Missouri State helping coach running backs and special teams.
Gilbert and his wife, the former Ms. Regina Kuykendall, have been married for 29 years., They have two children: daughter Jackie and son Tony Gilbert II.,