The athletic department has suddenly found the 2002 football schedule with two holes in it – and they just happen to be the first two home games of the season.

The University of Northern Iowa, Eastern’s 2001 playoff contestant, has given the Panthers the cold shoulder.

UNI broke its two-year contract with Eastern, promising its Sept. 7 date to Oklahoma State. Southern Illinois has also backed out from playing the Panthers Sept. 14, the weekend immediately following what would have been the UNI game.

“The first call came from the athletic director at Southern and they told me they were trying to schedule more wins and the coaches didn’t want to play us because it wasn’t in their interest,” said John Smith, assistant athletic director.

“Then I heard through the grapevine that Northern Iowa had already scheduled another game on our date, and it turned out that Oklahoma State had guaranteed the money game.”

Northern Iowa and Southern are both required to pay a buy-out penalty for breaking the contract, but the monetary value does not equal the frustration the athletic department feels about the empty games.

“The most frustrating part was that we had finished the 2002 schedule and the 2003 schedule was almost set,” Smith said.

Division I-AA football programs are required to play one money game with a major college for a guarantee, and the 2002 season is also the first year the NCAA has allowed schools to have a 12-game schedule, allowing universities with full schedules to pay smaller schools for an extra game.

“Oklahoma’s offer was so good that they decided to dump Eastern,” Smith said.

“Southern is trying to rebuild its program, so they’re trying to schedule wins.”

So, Smith is now on the hunt for two teams willing to fill the vacancies and he is looking at the options remaining for the athletic department.

“We can go out and find a division I-AA school, and Sam Houston State will possibly replace the Southern date. We can also try to find a money game, or pay a division II school to come.”

The problem with the first option is that Southern was a closer, less expensive opponent compared to Sam Houston, which plays in the Southern Conference.

“Sam Houston, realistically, is a formidable opponent,” Smith said. “They made the playoffs last yea.”