SoCon commissioner welcomes Fox, Golden Eagles to the league

By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A week since Tennessee Tech announced that it would join the Southern Conference in 2026, the news is still resonating across Cookeville and the Upper Cumberland.

With dignitaries converging on the Leslie Town Centre to welcome new Tech Director of Athletics Casey Fox, it was a great chance for Southern Conference commissioner Michael Cross to extend a warm welcome to Tech Athletics' new leader and the Golden Eagles themselves.

Amy New, the leader of the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, knows how important athletics is to the area as it brings resources into the community.

"Athletics at Tennessee Tech is more important than just competition," New said. "It brings people together, it builds pride across our community and it inspires the next generation. When our student-athletes succeed, our entire community gets behind them.

"It's also personal for me because 20 years ago, I met my husband, Jake, here. He chose to stay here and build his career, to build his family and share his love for sports with young athletes across Tennessee. His story is a great reminder how Tech Athletics opens doors. It builds lifelong connections and strengthens our community."

University President Dr. Phil Oldham noted the 76-year confederation Tech has with the Ohio Valley Conference and moving to another league isn't a decision that was taken lightly.

"This is pretty rare in the life of this institution," Oldham said. "We certainly would like to thank the OVC for 76 years of great rivalries and great memories. These are parts of the institutional framework that will be in the history books forever, but this is about the future. We're looking forward to an amazing opportunity."

The footprint of the Southern Conference was enticing to Tech as it provides the opportunity for new rivalries in a close proximity.

"I think the thing that excites me the most about this move is that we fit," Oldham said. "I'm heartened to understand that the presidents in the Southern Conference agree with that assessment. We think a lot alike, we have tremendous similarities and these are institutions that we can be proud of being associated with us.

"It's important, not just for athletics. It's important for academics, for brand recognition and reputation. There's a tremendous opportunity here."

Cross, the Southern Conference's 10^th commissioner, began his tenure in 2023 and has a nearly-30 year career in athletic administration and is excited to welcome the Golden Eagles to the fold.

"Tennessee Tech in the SoCon makes so much sense," Cross said, referencing the conference tagline – 'It's all here.' "Geography, it's all here. Tennessee Tech fits perfectly in our southern footprint, strengthening the regional rivalry that makes our conference special. Academics, it's all here. As a Carnegie research institution preparing graduates for successful careers, you enhance the SoCon's commitment to academic excellence with an 88-percent graduation success rate. You prove what we've always believed in the SoCon that winning and academic achievement go hand in hand.

"Collegial leadership, it's all here. The unity of our Council of Presidents' vote wasn't just procedural; it was a testament to the respect Tennessee Tech has earned through its collaborative, forward-thinking approach. You are striving for what college athletics can and should be and that leadership starts at the top with Dr. Oldham, his strategic vision and an unwavering commitment to excellence. He understands that college athletics is experiencing an unprecedented change and in a position to not just navigate that change, but to thrive in it as a member of the Southern Conference."

Fox, still in the early stages of his tenure as Tech's new Director of Athletics since being hired in June, knows the transition isn't going to be easy, but it is going to be a worthwhile journey for the Golden Eagles.

"The reputation and the competition of the SoCon is going to be fierce," Fox said. "It's going to require us here at Tennessee Tech to step up our game and we need everybody in this room and everybody who's associated with this to help us. This is going to be a team effort. It's not just going to be me, it's not just going to be our coaches, it's not just going to be our student-athletes. It's going to be all of us – all of those that are going to be buying tickets, those that are going to be supporting us and coming to our events. We need your help.

"Things haven't changed in my mind of what we're trying to accomplish. We're going to win. We're going to win on the field, on the court, in the classroom, and we're going to prepare our student-athletes for not only the season, but when they graduate and get on with life. That is the mission of what we are about, not what we are going to become, but what we are from now on."

Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations