Ohio Valley Conference

EIU Sports Information

(L to R): Sean Payton, Mike Heimerdinger and Mike Shanahan

The hiring of former Eastern Illinois University quarterback Sean Payton as the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints brings to five the number of individuals with EIU ties who are serving as head or assistant coaches in the National Football League.

In addition to Payton, other former EIU attendees patrolling the NFL sidelines include Mike Shanahan and Brad Childress, head coaches of the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings, respectively, as well as Mike Heimerdinger, offensive coordinator with the New York Jets and Randy Melvin, the defensive line coach with the Cleveland Browns.

Sean Payton, Class of 1987 - Payton was most recently assistant head coach with the Dallas Cowboys. He was an All-American quarterback with Eastern Illinois from 1983-86, and threw for a school-record 10,655 yards. He still holds 11 single game, season and career passing records.

Mike Shanahan, Class of 1974 - Shanahan is the head coach of the two-time Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. He was a quarterback with the Panthers in the early 1970s, and then returned as offensive coordinator for the EIU team that won the 1978 NCAA Division II National Championship.

Brad Childress, a 1988 graduate - Childress was recently named head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

Mike Heimerdinger, Class of 1974 - Heimerdinger is the offensive coordinator with the New York Jets. A former three-year letterwinner on the Panther baseball squad, he still holds the school career stolen base record.

Randy Melvin, Class of 1981 - Melvin is the defensive line coach with the Cleveland Browns. He was a Panther All-American defensive lineman from 1978-80, and a member of that same 1978 NCAA II championship team.

Eastern Illinois has been a NCAA I-AA football program since 1981, and has been to the NCAA I-AA playoffs ten times during this period.