What began as a desperate attempt to get practice bodies led to a historic event at Lantz Arena.

By making a free throw in the Dec. 22 game against Western Illinois, Eastern basketball forward and Eastern football wide receiver Ryan Voss officially became the first Panther athlete to catch a touchdown pass on the gridiron and score a point on the hardwood in 21 years.

In 1985, Dirk Androff was a second-team, all-conference selection on the basketball team while averaging 12.1 points per game his senior season after being a starting tight end on the Panther football team.

He was approached about the idea through the football coaches after basketball assistant coach Michael Lewis inquired about getting more players to assist in practice drills.

“Coach Lewis came and they told him that I would be interested,” Voss said.

Voss lettered nine times in football, basketball and track at Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda, Fla. He received interests from smaller college basketball programs while a senior in high school but signed a football scholarship with Eastern.

“I think he figured out that he had more options in football than anything else,” said Jerry Voss, Ryan’s father and high school football coach.

In order to complete the process, Voss, who had originally planned to graduate in three-and-a-half years, agreed to delay his graduation date to this spring.

“It was kind of shocking to me that he was going to do this after being beat up so bad in football this season,” Jerry Voss said.

The senior is now on what he calls the Matt Leinart plan, taking only one class this semester.

“Just as long as it’s not ballroom dancing like Leinart,” said Eastern defensive coordinators Roc Bellantoni about the former Southern California quarterback’s class schedule his final semester.

Bellantoni watched Voss during a high school basketball practice while recruiting him four years ago.

Voss began getting noticed on the bench in street clothes at the Dec. 2 game against Arkansas State and assistant coaches were unsure about his status beyond the practice floor.

“Those first couple of weeks I was just trying to get into basketball shape,” Voss said. “Football shape is so different without being here for preseason conditioning. It was hard.”

Voss finally saw action wearing an unusual number, 24, (his football number for four years was nine) in the final minute of the Panthers 73-57 home loss to Eastern Kentucky Dec. 18.

“He said that he was shocked when they handed him a travel bag the first week and said we leave tomorrow,” Jerry Voss said.

His close teammates regularly attend home games in hope of seeing Voss play.

“I’m sure they think it’s a big joke that I’m out here and playing but whatever gets more fans is good,” Voss said.

Voss played again during the 76-56 blowout of Western Illinois three days before Christmas, but this time scored a point and grabbed his only rebound of the season in this game.

The 6-foot-5 forward subbed in during the first half of Saturday night’s game against Austin Peay. Most of the Panthers had at least two fouls and Voss was called upon to give the forwards a breather for the final two minutes before halftime.

“We were just kind of helping him through the plays but we needed a body out there,” Eastern forward Jake Byrne said. “Hopefully he gets more confidence because we could use him in there.”

Voss has said the toughest thing is learning the complex triangle offense in such a short amount of time.

“I think you can still see during games I’m unsure of myself but I’m learning and picking it up every day,” Voss said.