Their impact has never been more important.
People are also reading…
🏈 Eastern Illinois University players who went on to the NFL
Lenny High
Lenny High was the first EIU player to play in the NFL. He was on the 1920 Decatur Staleys football team that would later become the Chicago Bears.
Bill Glenn
Bill Glenn played quarterback for the Chicago Bears in 1944.
Ray Fisher
Ray Fisher played tackle for two seasons for the Pittsburg Steelers before becoming an original member of the Dallas Texans in 1960.
Ted Petersen
Ted Petersen had a ten year career in the NFL playing for Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Indianapolis.
Jeff Gossett
Charleston graduate Jeff Gossett had a 15-year career in the NFL as a punter for Kansas City, Cleveland, Houston and the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.
Jeff Christensen
Jeff Christensen saw action as a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
Kevin Gray
Kevin Gray played one season for the New Orleans Saints appearing in eight games during the 1982 season.
Robert Williams
Robert Williams appeared in two games during the 1984 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Evan Araposthathis
Evan Araposthathis played in five games in 1986 as a punter for the St. Louis Cardinals football franchise.
Mel Black
Mel Black was a member of the New England Patriots playing in six games at linebacker and special teams.
Sean Payton
Payton
Chris Geile
Chris Geile played in three games for the Detroit Lions in 1987.
Roy Banks
Roy Banks played in 15 games for the Indianapolis Colts in the 1987 and 1988 seasons.
John Jurkovic
Eastern Illinois graduate John Jurkovic played as a defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns.
Brad Fichtel
Brad Fichtel appeared in three games in 1994 for the Los Angeles Rams.
Ray McElroy
Ray McElroy had a six-year career in the NFL playing for the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions.
Bob Rosenstiel
Bob Rosenstiel had a two-year career at tight end and special teams for the Oakland Raiders.
Chris Watson
Chris Watson played four seasons total for the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills. He was also on the Detroit Lions roster in 2003 and Green Bay Packers roster in 2004.
Tony Romo
Tony Romo started his first game with the Dallas Cowboys in 2006, guiding the team to back-to-back NFC playoff appearances. He announced his retirement in April of 2017.
Pierre Walters
Pierre Walters appeared in four games in 2009 with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garoppolo appeared in a handful of games during his rookie season with the New England Patriots and was the back-up quarterback as New England won the Super Bowl in 2015. Currently, Garoppolo plays as quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
Mike Shanahan
Class of 1974 graduate Mike Shanahan led the Denver Broncos to a pair of Super Bowl championships in 1998 and 1999 as their head coach and was a quarterback with the Panthers in the early 1970s.
Brad Childress
1988 graduate Brad Childress was named head coach of the Minnesota Vikings in 2006. He has since assisted with coaching efforts for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs.
Mike Heimerdinger
Mike Heimerdinger, former Eastern Illinois baseball player, served as the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.
Greg McMahon
Greg McMahon, defensive back on Eastern Illinois 1978 NCAA Division II National Championship team, was promoted to special teams coordinator for the Saints in 2009. He has gone on to coach for Louisiana State University.
John Teerlinck
John Teerlinck, defensive line coach for the Indianapolis Colts, earned a masters degree at Eastern Illinois University while serving as an assistant for the 1978 NCAA Division II National Championship team.
Randy Melvin
Former EIU defensive lineman Randy Melvin served as the defensive line coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, and more recently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ryan Pace
Former Eastern Illinois player Ryan Pace was hired as the general manager of the Chicago Bears in 2015.
Brad Fichtel
Brad Fichtel played football for EIU and went on to spend the 1993 and 1994 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.
Kamu Grugier-Hill
Kamu Grugier-Hill spent his 2012-2015 college career playing for the EIU Panthers, and was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2016. He was dropped soon after, and later picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles that same year. The following year, he and the Eagles won against the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Otis Hudson
Following graduation from EIU, Otis Hudson spent most of his time in the practice squad and active roster for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2010-2013, as well as a few months with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014.
