EIU Media Relations

Thomas Woodall Panther Trail Sign Dedication Set for Oct. 22

Friends and colleagues are invited to the 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, dedication of the Thomas Woodall Panther Trail sign on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

The Kinesiology & Sports Studies Department, working collaboratively with EIU Athletics, will dedicate the sign, which marks the university’s two-mile cross country course that spans the western part of the EIU campus and surrounds many of the institution’s athletic and intramural facilities. 

Woodall, of Charleston, contributed significantly to EIU for many years.  He is a retired professor in the Kinesiology & Sports Studies Department, having taught there from 1965 through 2000.  He also coached cross country and assisted with the track and field team from 1965 to 1982. Both teams amassed several different championships during his tenure.

Woodall’s community contributions include the founding of the EIU Adult Fitness Program (1966), initially known as the Run for Your Life program, and co-founder of the METS (Monitored Exercise Testing Services) program at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center.