Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football
Intercollegiate American football team
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The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Tennessee Tech University, located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and plays in the OVC–Big South Football Association, a joint venture between Tech's primary home of the Ohio Valley Conference and the Big South Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1922. The team plays its home games at the 16,500 seat Tucker Stadium and is coached by Bobby Wilder.
2nd season, 18–7 (.720)
(capacity: 16,500)
| Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| |||
| First season | 1922 | ||
| Head coach | Bobby Wilder 2nd season, 18–7 (.720) | ||
| Location | Cookeville, Tennessee | ||
| Stadium | Tucker Stadium (capacity: 16,500) | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | OVC–Big South | ||
| Colors | Purple and gold[1] | ||
| All-time record | 458–557–31 (.453) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–3 (.000) | ||
| Conference championships | |||
| OVC: 1952, 1953, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1975, 2011 OVC–Big South: 2024, 2025 | |||
| Mascot | Awesome Eagle | ||
| Marching band | Golden Eagle Marching Band | ||
| Website | ttusports.com | ||
On August 13, 2025, the Southern Conference announced Tennessee Tech would become a member effective July 1, 2026.[2]
Conference championships
Tennessee Tech has won twelve conference championships, six shared and six outright. Their twelve Ohio Valley titles are the most in the conference of any current member, behind only former conference member Eastern Kentucky.[3]
| Season | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952† | Preston Vaughn Overall | Ohio Valley Conference | 9–2 | 4–1 |
| 1953 | 7–4 | 5–0 | ||
| 1955 | Wilburn Tucker | 7–3 | 5–0 | |
| 1958† | 7–3 | 5–1 | ||
| 1959† | 6–2–2 | 5–0–1 | ||
| 1960 | 8–3 | 6–0 | ||
| 1961 | 7–3 | 6–0 | ||
| 1972 | Don Wade | 10–2 | 7–0 | |
| 1975† | 8–3 | 6–1 | ||
| 2011† | Watson Brown | 7–4 | 6–2 | |
| 2024† | Bobby Wilder | OVC–Big South Football Association | 7–5 | 6–2 |
| 2025 | 11–2 | 8–0 |
† Co-championship
Postseason
Bowl games
The Golden Eagles have appeared in three bowl games, with an overall record of 0–3.
| Season | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Preston Vaughn Overall | Tangerine Bowl | East Texas State | L 0–33 |
| 1960 | Wilburn Tucker | Tangerine Bowl | The Citadel | L 0–27 |
| 1972 | Don Wade | Grantland Rice Bowl | Louisiana Tech | L 0–35 |
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs
The Golden Eagles have made two appearances in the Division I-AA/FCS playoffs, with an overall record of 0–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | First Round | Central Arkansas | L 14–34 |
| 2025 | First Round | North Dakota | L 6–31 |
Head coaches
| Seasons | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Loyal Duyck | 2–1–4 |
| 1923–1946, 1952–1953 | Preston Vaughn Overall | 97–96–18 |
| 1947–1949 | Hooper Eblen | 12–19 |
| 1950–1951 | Star Wood | 9–12–1 |
| 1954–1967 | Wilburn Tucker | 70–65–5 |
| 1968–1982 | Don Wade | 81–78–3 |
| 1983–1985 | Gary Darnell | 3–29 |
| 1986–1995 | Jim Ragland | 42–66 |
| 1996–2006 | Mike Hennigan | 52–57 |
| 2007–2015 | Watson Brown | 42–60 |
| 2016–2017 | Marcus Satterfield | 6–16 |
| 2018–2023 | Dewayne Alexander | 20–43 |
| 2024–present | Bobby Wilder | 18–7 |
Notable former players
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of February 28, 2026.[4]
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|
| Monmouth | Morehead State | Morehead State |
| at Chattanooga | Eastern Illinois | Montana State |
| Eastern Kentucky | at Montana State | at Eastern Kentucky |
| at Mississippi State |