| Stadium Name: | O'Brien Field |
| Location: | 100 Grant Avenue Charleston, IL 61920 |
| Coordinates: | 39.4806°N -88.1811°W |
| Broke Ground: | 1968[1] |
| Opened: | 1970 |
| Renovated: | 1999 |
| Owner: | Eastern Illinois University |
| Operator: | Eastern Illinois University |
| Surface: | Hellas Fieldturf |
| Construction Cost: | $1.7 million[2] |
| Architect: | Atkins, Barrow & Graham, Inc. |
| Former Names: | Lincoln Field |
| Tenants: | Eastern Illinois Panthers (NCAA) (1970–present) |
| Record Attendance: | 12,600 November 9, 1980 (vs. Northern Iowa) |
| Seating Capacity: | 10,000 |
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.
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 | |
| 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] |
| Attendance | |||||
| 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 |
The following are the highest attendances at O’Brien Field as of the end of the 2019 NCAA football season.[22]
| 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 |