So, you are a little nostalgic for EIU news, eh? Well, check out what happened to our great alums back in 2000.





12/31/00
Shanahan Loses in NFL Playoffs
Bad news, Panther fans, but Eastern’s NFL giant Mike Shanahan lost in the first round of the 2000-2001 NFL playoffs back on Dec. 31. After a shaky first half of the football season, Shanahan rallied the troops and won five of the last six games he coached, finishing with a record of 11-5. Unfortunately, the Baltimore Raven whipped his teams butt 21-3. Better luck next year.

11/13/00
Shanahan Gets Sweet Revenge, Moves to 6-4
Mike Shanahan walked into a nationally televised Monday Night Football game Nov. 13 and beat one of the best teams in football, the Oakland Raiders! Shanahan, who coaches the NFL’s Denver Broncos, beat the Raiders 27-24. Hopefully this will silence all the fair-weather fans who were calling for Shanny’s head. Three very cool things about this win. First, it was a win. Second, by defeating the Raiders Shanahan beat Al Davis, the Raiders owner who screwed Shanahan over several years ago. Third, it was on national television, so there were lots of comments by the Monday Night Football crew about how cool Shanahan was and it gave our sports leader tons of face time on ABC-TV.

11/10/00
Alumni schtuff
Homecoming and Parents Weekend are done, but there are still some alumni-related happenings going on over the next few months. Call 1-800-ALUM-EIU (800-258-6348) to get hooked up. And be sure hand out the EIU Hall of Fame's address (http://eiuhalloffame.tripod.com) if you go!
November 18: Indianapolis Alumni Reception
December 6: Springfield Alumni Reception, 5-7 p.m. at DH Brown's
February 19, 2001: Scottsdale, AZ Alumni Reception 5:30-7:30 p.m.

11/3/00

Malkovich to Play Another Crazy Person
It’s good to know John Malkovich will never get bored. Variety magazine is reporting that the former EIU great and soon-to-be Green Goblin in the upcoming “Spider Man” film is also being considered for a role in “Ripley's Game,” a follow-up to “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” a very very cool and scary movie starring non-EIU grad Matt Damon. Some have suggested this movie may wind up killing his "Spidey" role because they would be filmed at the same time. No word on who Malko would play in the "Ripley" flick, but no doubt it's someone with a mental defect. Have you noticed he’s played a lot of kooks? There was that guy in “In The Line of Fire,” Cyrus the Virus in “Con-Air” and he wasn’t actually stable in “Being John Malkovich.” No doubt these nuts are John's full-blown EIU side coming out. The school should get commission!

10/29/00
I’m back on campus!
This is probably the most important news on this damn site. I, Larry Smith, returned to Eastern Illinois University in October for Speech Communication Day -- Speech Communication Day being one of those holidays celebrated only on college campuses. Nonetheless, I used the occasion to praise Eastern, praise the campus television station, encourage students to keep in touch with alums in their field and, most important, show some CNNSI bloopers, according to an Oct. 12 article in The Daily Eastern News. You can get the full text of that article by clicking here.

10/29/00
Brenda Back to Campus for Scholarship
Brenda Edgar continues her reign as The Favorite Edgar of the New Millennium. After creating a scholarship for older, working women, the former first lady of Illinois came back to Eastern Illinois University in September to give out the first-ever Brenda Edgar Scholarship for Women. The recipient was Angela Hunt, a single mom and a shelter manager for the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, according to an Oct. 2 article in The Daily Eastern News. Angela told the newspaper that it would have been impossible for her to return to school without the cash. Brenda Edgar continues to step up to the plate for Eastern. The last thing Jim did was donate his papers! Come on governor! Step up!

10/29/00
Shanahan’s team 4-4:
Let’s get one thing straight: It’s not Mike Shanahan’s fault. The Denver Broncos, the pro football team Shanahan fearlessly leads, is racked with injuries and sometimes can’t even field an offense during its practices. As a result, the Broncos — a team many considered contenders for the Super Bowl this season — are mired at 4-4. The team’s latest game was their most humiliating: a 31-21 loss on Oct. 22 to the Cincinnati Bengals. Before that game, THE BENGALS HADN’T WON A GAME! What would Eastern Head Football Coach Bob Spoo do?

10/21/00
EIU Hall of Fame Gets Major Press!
The Daily Herald of Arlington Heights, Ill., became the first paper to do what many will do in the future: list the EIU Hall of Fame’s web address in its news pages! Award-winning film critic and proud Eastern Illinois University alumnus Dann Gire put the EIU Hall of Fame’s web address in his Oct. 20 column as part of a discussion of Joan Allen and her new film, The Contender. Here’s the paragraph: “Ironically, her movie ‘The Contender’ (THREE STARS) pivots on a plot point involving the discovery of sex photos taken of her character as a college student, photos that now threaten her candidacy for the U.S. vice presidency. In real life, a photo allegedly taken of a topless Joan Allen in college has been floated on EIU's unofficial alumni Web site. It wisely doesn't claim the photo to really be Joan Allen. It merely poses the question, "Is this Joan Allen?" You be the judge at eiuhalloffame.tripod.com.”
Gire went to Eastern at the same time Joan Allen did and actually saw her perform One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at EIU. He’s also appeared on At The Movies and is one half of "John and Dann Go to the Movies" with DJ John Landecker which can be heard at 7:10 a.m. Fridays on WJMK 104.3 FM in Chicago. The show was recently nominated for an Achievement In Radio Award). You can read his review of The Contender by scrolling down or clicking here.
The Daily Herald has been forever placed in the EIU Hotlinks section of the EIU Hall of Fame. It will also be the next featured link when the time is right. But don’t get uppity Dan, Larry Smith is still the media master in this web site!

10/19/00
Malkovich WILL play Green Goblin: EIU Hall of Fame inductee and all-star thespian John Malkovich has accepted the role of the Green Goblin in the upcoming Spider Man movie, according to Zap2it.com. This Goblin guy is Spidey's next-door neighbor by day but his arch enemy at night. Also, An Unofficial John Malkovich Page reported that Malkovich got an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Rko 281 and an Actor of the year nomination for the Hollywood Film Festival. Not bad!

10/2/00
Homecoming stuff
The university has released a bunch of information about homecoming, which is Oct. 6-8. A list of events is below. For more on homecoming click here and you'll get a massive list of to-dos, including departmental functions, Greek get-togethers and the Navajo & Pueblo Rugs & Jewelry exhibit at Brainard Gallery. The alumni association’s open house is at the Linder House, 1544 4th St., from noon to 4 p.m, and the class of 1950 will have a 5 p.m. reunion the same day at the Alumni Lounge and Grand Ballroom of the MLK University Union.

9/28/00
Woof!
You always have to love the Parents’ Weekend concern. It's a real indicator of which generation is sending kids to college. This year, legendary ‘70s guitar rock band Three Dog Night is performing for the annual familial celebration, which is Oct. 13 to the 15th (the concert is on the 14th). The university is charging $18(!) to see Three Dog Night, whose better songs include “Joy to the World,” “Liar” and “Shambala.” According to the group’s web site, from 1969-1974 nobody had more Top 10 hits than the Dogs. That’s kinda scary.

9/25/00
Joan Gets Her Own Film — Finally:
Joan Allen, an actress I only know of because there’s a fake nude picture of her on the internet, will take center stage in The Contender, a movie about a vice presidential nominee who may, or may not, have a dirty little secret. Finally, no more Pat Nixon to Anthony Hopkins’ Richard Nixon. No more second-fiddle roles. She is a butt-kicking, hard-talking, vice-presidential wannabe senator who stars above all others in The Contender, which opens Oct. 13. In the movie, Allen’s character Laine Hanson is nominated (along with some other guy played by someone else) for the post of vice president. The nomination enrages politicians in both parties, who launch an intense campaign to discredit her. Sounds good to me.

9/19/00
Burl Ives Mentioned on Monday Night Football:
One of our greatest singers and football players got a mention on Monday Night Football Sept. 18. New football commentator/comedian Dennis Miller invoked Burl Ives' name during the Redskins-Cowboys game. Miller, a master of obscure references, said Redskins' defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson "has not produced up to this point in his career. I think the reason his nickname is "Big Daddy" is because he's been playing like Burl Ives." Is that funny? Why didn’t I get that job?

9/10/00
Hall of Fame is back!
After months of research and development, the EIU Hall of Fame is back and fully-functional. Each of the 13 famous alums inducted into this online shrine has new in-depth profiles, but there are a host of new features for Panthermaniacs to choose from: new photo galleries for John Malkovich, Joan Embery and Joan Allen (without the nude pic.

8/24/00
Brenda Edgar announces new scholarship:
Former Illinois First Lady and EIU Hall of Fame inductee Brenda Edgar created the Brenda Edgar Scholarship for Women, according to the Summer 2000 edition of the Old Main Line. Brenda, who returned to Eastern to finish her bachelor's in 1998, dropped a $100,000 endowment on the Eastern Foundation in April, the article said. The scholarship will award one $4,000 scholarship annually to a student 25 years or older who is returning to college through Eastern’s Board of Trustees (formerly Board of Governors) bachelors program and “had a significant break in education due to life events,” among other things, the article said. Brenda's pretty cool.

8/21/00
Joan Embery Web Site Disses Eastern!
You get it here first—a sneak peek at EIU Hall of Fame inductee Joan Embery’s very own web site! When you click the above link, you’ll only get an image telling you to stay tuned. But EIU Hall of Fame minions inadvertently stumbled onto a back door to the site and got a look at what Joan has planned for all those Emberyos out there. If you want to look for yourself, click here and you, too, can look through the web page.
Some of the site is pretty disturbing. While Joan does offer a link to San Diego State University—the school that gave her the cold shoulder when she sought to be a vet—there are no links at all to Eastern Illinois University! What’s up with that!

8/3/00
Malkovich in Fight With John Cusack on MTV!
That’s right, John Malkovich fans. Our favorite EIU superstar took on “Being John Malkovich” co-star John Cusack in Celebrity Death Match on July 28. And guess what? HE KICKED CUSAK’S ASS!!!!!!!! That’s what I call Panther Power! Hopefully, this segment will rerun constantly so we can see Malkovich dominate the weaker Cusack, who didn’t graduate from Eastern and played in such wimp films like “Say Anything.”

7/1/00
7 Named to Hall of Fame for Less Famous Alums.
Seven alums, five of them who were actually athletes, are to be named to the Athletic Department's Hall of Fame. Tim Lance, Marty McIntire, Sean Payton, Barb Perkes, Ray Schaljo and Jim Erdmann will be inducted at in September. Tim Lance is probably the coolest of the bunch. According to a university press release, the 1990 grad was a consensus First Team football All-American in his final year and tried out for the Chicago Bears. He was the Gateway Conference defensive ‘Player of the Year’ in 1989 and ranks in the top five in virtually every tackle category. But maybe the coolest factoid is that Lance is the head coach of Springfield, Illinois', entry in an indoor football league. All the other inductees did other things. If they’re accepting non-athletes, maybe I can get in!

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