The 2006 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team represented Eastern Illinois University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season.
The team was led by interim head coach Mark Hutson, as head coach Bob Spoo was unable to coach for medical reasons, and played their home games at O'Brien Field in Charleston, Illinois.
The Panthers finished the season with an 8–5 record overall and a 7–1 mark in conference play, sharing the OVC title with Tennessee–Martin.
The team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they lost to Illinois State in the first round.
15 in The Sports Network's postseason ranking of NCAA Division I FCS teams.