- Source: 1986 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team
- 1986 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team
- Eastern Illinois Panthers football
- Eastern Illinois Panthers
- 1987 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team
- 1985 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team
- List of Eastern Illinois Panthers football seasons
- Panther
- 2024 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
- Pittsburgh Panthers football
- 1986 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 1986 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team represented Eastern Illinois University as a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (GCAC) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Al Molde, the Panthers played their home games at O'Brien Stadium in Charleston, Illinois. Eastern Illinois finished the season with an overall record of 11–2 and won the GCAC title with a mark of 5–1 in conference play. The team was invited to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Murray State in the first round before losing to Eastern Kentucky in the quarterfinals.