Kim Dameron had several interviews with Eastern officials before being hired as the new head football coach for the Panthers, but it might have only taken two words to solidify his candidacy — national championship.

President Bill Perry was one of a handful of people to interview Dameron, and Perry said he was sold quickly when he heard national championship.

“The first question I always ask is what is the opportunity at EIU and when I was interviewing Kim he said two words — national championship,” Perry said.

Eastern Athletic Director Barbara Burke said Dameron stood out to her since the beginning of the coaching search and had kept an eye on his progress after being a candidate for the same job in 2011, after Bob Spoo retired. She said Dameron’s outlook at the future of the program made her buy in to him.

“He was the only candidate who said he wanted to win a national championship at EIU and that might have sold me right there,” Burke said.

Eastern is coming off a 12-2 season that ended with a quarterfinal loss in the FCS playoffs to Towson. The Panthers won two consecutive Ohio Valley Conference titles under Dino Babers, who coached Eastern to several offensive records during his two-year stint with the team.

Now, with Dameron at the helm and with more than 20 years of coaching defensive position groups or being a defensive coordinator, current Panther Adam Gristick said he is excited about the hire.

“I think it’s a great pick and I love that he’s a defensive coach,” Gristick said.

Gristick, a red-shirt junior linebacker, finished fourth in tackles for Eastern in 2013. He said he loves that Dameron has a defensive background because they will share the same mentality as a team.

“Defense wins championships and I know coach Dameron is going to have the same mindset,” Gristick said.

Dameron has been a defensive coordinator for seven different teams since 1993, including his stay at Eastern in 2000, when he was the defensive coordinator under Bob Spoo.

Spoo was in attendance Saturday morning, when Dameron was introduced as the new head coach.

“I really enjoyed working with him for the short time we were together,” Spoo said. “When Kim joined our staff we were not very good on defense at the time. With his addition we became a lot better team on that side of the ball. He brings a lot of knowledge and he will be a great hire for the Eastern Illinois program.”

Eastern made it to the FCS playoffs in 2000, following a four-year absence from the postseason.

Eastern defensive lineman Timotheus Granger said he is excited about the hire because of the history of winning that Dameron brings to Eastern.

“We are ready for another winning season and coach Kim Dameron has been a part of a number of winning programs and he knows how to win,” Granger said.

The junior, who was injured during Eastern’s season opener in 2013 against San Diego State and missed a month of action, said he is looking forward to working with Dameron in the offseason and the start of the regular season for his senior year.

Last season, Dameron took over as the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech University. In 2012, Louisiana Tech finished dead last in the FBS in total defense (120th).

With Dameron overseeing the defense last season, it improved to 69th in total defense, which was the fourth best improvement in the FBS in 2013.

Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz said he is excited that Dameron was given the opportunity to become a head coach.

“We were the fourth most-improved defense in the country this past year and that is credit to what Kim Dameron accomplished at Louisiana Tech,” Holtz said.

Red-shirt junior Jeff LePak was part of Eastern’s No. 1 offense in the FCS, as a wide receiver. The transfer from Baylor said Dameron’s background being solely on the defensive side of the ball would not slow down the Panthers’ offense next year.

“He’ll solidify the defense and we’ll continue to put up points on offense and we’ll be tough to beat,” LePak said. “I know he helped Eastern win a conference championship in 2000, and hopefully he’ll lead us to a national championship in 2014.”

Dameron began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arkansas in 1983, following his playing days as a Razorback (1979-82).

Since 1983, Dameron has coached at 13 programs as a secondary coach, defensive backs coach or defensive coordinator. He will now be a head coach for the first time — something that Burke said she is not worried about.

“Sitting in the chair might give you a little bit of an advantage, but what I like about some of the individuals that have been coordinators or things like that is their energy level, their drive and they know this is their opportunity,” Burke said. “So, they tend to have a good vision and are so appreciative and thrilled at the opportunity. I like that part of it.”

The last time Eastern hired a first-time head football coach was in 2011, Babers, who won two coach of the year awards in the OVC and led the Panthers to a 19-7 record. Burke is hopeful Dameron will bring even more success, ending with a national championship.

Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].