1988 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team

American college football season

1988 Eastern Illinois Panthers football
Conference	Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference
Record	5–6 (2–4 GCAC)
Head coach	Bob Spoo (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Kit Cartwright (2nd season)
Home stadium	O'Brien Stadium
Seasons← 1987 1989 →

1988 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 3 Western Illinois $^	6	–	0	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
Southwest Missouri State	4	–	2	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Indiana State	4	–	2	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Northern Iowa	3	–	3	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Eastern Illinois	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Southern Illinois	2	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State	0	–	6	–	0	1	–	10	–	0

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

The 1988 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team represented Eastern Illinois University during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Panthers played their home games at O'Brien Stadium in Charleston, Illinois.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 3	at Illinois State		Hancock Stadium Normal, IL (rivalry)	W 16–7
September 10	Austin Peay*		O'Brien Stadium Charleston, IL	W 44–0
September 17	Liberty*		O'Brien Stadium Charleston, IL	W 28–27
September 24	Youngstown State*	No. T–13	O'Brien Stadium Charleston, IL	L 13–33
October 1	at Indiana State		Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	L 12–24
October 8	Southern Illinois		O'Brien Stadium Charleston, IL	W 34–3	9,415
October 15	at No. 2 Western Illinois		Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 8–45	9,680
October 22	Northern Iowa		O'Brien Stadium Charleston, IL	L 15–17	9,677
October 29	at Southwest Missouri State		Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	L 21–41
November 5	No. 5 Western Kentucky*		O'Brien Stadium Charleston, IL	W 6–0
November 12	No. 15 Boise State*		Bronco Stadium Boise, ID	L 7–12	12,871
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

"Eastern blows past Southern". Herald and Review. October 9, 1988. p. B2. Retrieved January 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
Carlson, Chuck (October 16, 1988). "Turnovers devastate Eastern". Herald and Review. p. B5. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
"SMS holds tight, beats EIU 41–21". The Springfield News-Leader. October 30, 1988. Retrieved July 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Boise St. 12, E. Illinois 7". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 13, 1988. p. 5B.
"EIU Football Online Guide, 2019" (PDF). Eastern Illinois athletics.

v t e Eastern Illinois Panthers football
Venues	O'Brien Field (1970–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Illinois State: Mid-America Classic
Culture & lore	Billy the Panther
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold