This weekend a great legacy will near its end, as head football coach Bob Spoo will coach the second to last game of his historic 25-year career   -his last here at O’Brien Field.

This is an opportunity for anyone, whether a casual fan or die-hard member of Panther Nation, to be a part of history and see one of the most storied coaches in college football in his final game on his home field.

Eastern may not be lucky enough to have a football program that wins championships every year, or even one that wins games every week, but it is lucky enough to have a head coach who has stuck with his team through the good times and the bad.

We were able to see the incredible amount of heart and effort the players poured into the team’s season-opening win against in-state rival Illinois State, and this weekend we should be able to see that same intensity against Tennessee State, a team the Panthers have every reason to beat.

The Panthers have lost a lot of close games this season, but the two games they’ve won have also been close. Anyone who goes to the Eastern game this weekend will almost be guaranteed an exciting game, regardless of a win or loss for the Panthers.

Even though Eastern’s season has been anything but the farewell tour the Panthers wanted to give Spoo, they can at least send him out on a high note in front of his home crowd.

That’s why it is important for every one of us to be a member of Panther Nation this weekend as a way to say thank you to a man who has dedicated 25 years of his life to Eastern.

Without Bob Spoo, there might not have been a Tony Romo. Without Bob Spoo, Eastern football would look quite a lot different, and probably not for the better.

So make sure you come out to O’Brien Field at 1:30 p.m. this Saturday and watch the Panthers try to send coach Spoo out on his final home game with a win in front of a home crowd.

If football isn’t quite your thing, the least you can do is tailgate in honor of the ol’ guy.

But we wager that anyone who comes to the game will get pretty into it. If you’ve never been to a Panther game, you might be surprised how emotionally invested you become by the fourth quarter.

The team understands how important this game is for Spoo and for Eastern, so passions are bound to be pretty high.

Either way, it will be a historic day in Eastern history.