The Panthers athletic program competes at the NCAA Division I level[2] and is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).

[6] Eastern Illinois athletics began in the school's very first year, with the inaugural football team taking the field only three weeks after the first students arrived on campus in 1899.

A member of the Ohio Valley Conference since 1996, Eastern Illinois University sponsors teams in ten men's and eleven women's NCAA sanctioned sports.

[8] The Panthers' men's and women's swimming teams compete as associate members of the Summit League since those sports are not sponsored by the OVC.

[18] Facilities are housed on the west side of the EIU campus between 4th Street and Grant Avenue.