O'Brien Field is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Charleston, Illinois.[3] It is home to the Eastern Illinois University Panthers football and track and field teams. O’Brien Field is named after Maynard O'Brien who coached football and track at Eastern Illinois University.[4] The stadium features a nine-lane track and in 2004 an artificial turf field was installed. In 2009 a state of the art scoreboard was installed on the north end of the field with a video board and new sound system.
Former names | Lincoln Field |
---|---|
Location | 100 Grant Avenue Charleston, IL 61920 |
Coordinates | 39°28′50″N 88°10′52″W / 39.48056°N 88.18111°W |
Owner | Eastern Illinois University |
Operator | Eastern Illinois University |
Capacity | 10,000 |
Record attendance | 12,600 November 9, 1980 (vs. Northern Iowa) |
Surface | Hellas Fieldturf |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1968[1] |
Opened | 1970 |
Renovated | 1999 |
Construction cost | $1.7 million[2] |
Architect | Atkins, Barrow & Graham, Inc.[2] |
Tenants | |
Eastern Illinois Panthers (NCAA) (1970–present) |
The stadium served as the summer home for the former St. Louis Cardinals football team in 1976 and 1977 and again from 1982 to 1987.
The record attendance for O'Brien Field was 12,600 on November 9, 1980, vs. Northern Iowa. The all-time record for the Panthers football team at O'Brien Field is 178–95–3 as of the end of the 2019 season.
The stadium also plays host to the IHSA State Finals in track and field every year. The Boys Track State Finals were first held there in 1972, have been conducted there every season since 1974. The Girls State Finals have been held there every season since it was first run in 1973.
Home records
editHome Records | |
Year | Record |
---|---|
1970 | 1-4 |
1971 | 4-1 |
1972 | 0-5 |
1973 | 2-4 |
1974 | 3-2 |
1975 | 2-1-2 |
1976 | 3-3 |
1977 | 1-3 |
1978 | 7-0 |
1979 | 4-3 |
1980 | 7-0 |
1981 | 5-1 |
1982 | 7-0 |
1983 | 5-1 |
1984 | 4-2 |
1985 | 5-1 |
1986 | 7-1 |
1987 | 3-2 |
1988 | 4-2 |
1989 | 6-0 |
1990 | 3-2 |
1991 | 4-1 |
1992 | 4-1 |
1993 | 1-2-1 |
1994 | 4-2 |
1995 | 6-0 |
1996 | 3-2 |
1997 | 4-1 |
1998 | 3-3 |
1999 | 4-1 |
2000 | 5-0 |
2001 | 5-1 |
2002 | 5-0 |
2003 | 3-3 |
2004 | 3-2 |
2005 | 4-2 |
2006 | 5-1 |
2007 | 3-2 |
2008 | 3-2 |
2009 | 3-2 |
2010 | 1-4 |
2011 | 1-4 |
2012 | 5-0 |
2013 | 6-1 |
2014 | 3-2 |
2015 | 3-2 |
2016 | 2-3 |
2017 | 3-2 |
2018 | 2-3 |
2019 | 0–5 |
2020 | 1–2 |
2021 | 0–4 |
Totals 52 Years |
180-103-3[5] .635 |
Attendance
editAttendance | |||||
Year | Games | Total attendance | Average attendance | Highest game attendance | Lowest game attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | 5 | 35,030 | 7,006 | 10,731 | 3,740 |
2003[6] | 6 | 29,413 | 4,902 | NA | NA |
2005[7] | 6 | 37,094 | 6,182 | NA | NA |
2006[8] | 6 | 38,690 | 6,448 | NA | NA |
2007[9] | 5 | 37,058 | 7,411 | 9,861 | 3,083 |
2008[10] | 5 | 25,447 | 5,089 | 7,996 | 1,919 |
2009[11] | 5 | 38,847 | 7,769 | 11,271 | 3,509 |
2010[12] | 5 | 28,343 | 5,669 | 8,007 | 4,311 |
2011[13] | 5 | 37,937 | 7,587 | 9,111 | 6,157 |
2012[14] | 5 | 35,681 | 7,136 | 9,154 | 5,319 |
2013[15] | 7 | 56,086 | 8,012 | 11,569 | 3,850 |
2014[16] | 5 | 32,476 | 6,496 | 9,169 | 2,170 |
2015[17] | 5 | 28,387 | 5,677 | 8,104 | 1,438 |
2016[18] | 5 | 29,067 | 5,813 | 7,907 | 3,054 |
2017[19] | 5 | 24,750 | 4,950 | 8,176 | 2,828 |
2018[20] | 5 | 26,715 | 5,343 | 7,670 | 2,149 |
2019[21] | 5 | 24,413 | 4,883 | 7,055 | 3,170 |
2020^ | 3 | 3,846 | 1,282 | 1,312 | 1,252 |
^Low attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Attendance records
editThe following are the highest attendances at O’Brien Field as of the end of the 2019 NCAA football season.[22]
Rank | Attendance | Date | Game result |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 12,600 | Nov. 9, 1980 | Eastern Illinois 14, Northern Iowa 9 |
2 | 12,547 | Nov. 5, 1983 | Eastern Illinois 12, Southwest Missouri 3 |
3 | 12,425 | Nov. 13, 1982 | Eastern Illinois 73, Kentucky State 0 |
4 | 12,000 | Nov. 3, 1979 | Eastern Illinois 21, Youngstown State 49 |
5 | 11,856 | Nov. 1, 1986 | Eastern Illinois 64, Winona State 0 |
6 | 11,628 | Oct. 27, 2001 | Eastern Illinois 52, Tennessee State 49 |
7 | 11,569 | Oct. 19, 2013 | Eastern Illinois 55, Southeast Missouri 33 |
8 | 11,485 | Nov. 7, 1987 | Eastern Illinois 27, Southern Illinois 32 |
9 | 11,469 | Sept. 28, 2013 | Eastern Illinois 42, Eastern Kentucky 7 |
10 | 11,321 | Oct. 31, 1998 | Eastern Illinois 21, Tennessee State 27 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Nostalgia Surrounds O'Brien" (PDF). Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Illinois January 21". Engineering News-Record. 182 (1). New York City: McGraw-Hill: 38. 1969.
- ^ "O'Brien Field". eiupanthers.com. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ "O'Brien Field" (PDF). p. 140. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ "2018 EIU Football Media Guide page 140" (PDF). Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ "2003 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2005 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2006 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2007 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2008 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2009 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2010 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2011 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2012 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2013 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2014 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2015 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2016 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2017 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2018 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "2019 NCAA Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ "O'Brien Field Top Ten Home Attendance" (PDF). p. 132. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
External links
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