COLLEGE FOOTBALL 150: Looking back at Tennessee Tech football's history

By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- With College Football celebrating its 150th birthday this weekend, it gives football programs all across the country a chance to reflect on their own storied histories. Tennessee Tech, currently in its 98th season of intercollegiate varsity football, has had its own share of heroes and legends on the gridiron. 

This list is compiled through several historical sources at the university from newspaper clippings, game programs, media guides, as well as the books "The Story of Tennessee Tech" by Austin Wheeler Smith (1957) and "The Search for Identity: A History of Tennessee Technological University, 1915-1985" by Harvey G. Neufeldt and W. Calvin Dickinson (1991).

While it is impossible to list every single event that has happened over the course of nearly a century of Tennessee Tech football, this is presented as an overview of some of the major events and is an ever-growing document of both the past, present and future of Tennessee Tech football.

Note: Records for games earlier than 1922 do not exist in Tech's archives, as all past media guides started the season-by-season results that year.

March 27, 1915 – Tennessee Polytechnic Institute was established.

1916 – C. Donald Russell, who had previously coached at TPI's predecessor, Dixie College, as well as at Putnam County High School, was named in charge of Tech's football, basketball and baseball teams. He left at the end of the 1916-17 academic year.

1917 – R.V. Kerr was hired to teach science and coach during the 1917-18 season. He resigned to join the military on April 21, 1918, as the United States became involved in World War I.

1917 -- Tech faced Middle Tennessee State University for the first time in the rivalry's history, falling 26-0.

1918 – W. Ellis Simmons was hired to coach football, basketball and baseball. He coached football one season and remained on the basketball and baseball staff until 1921.

The 1919 Tennessee Tech football team

1919 – John (Red) Floyd, for whom the current football stadium at Middle Tennessee State University is named after, was named the head football coach, but stayed until October 3 of the same year, resigning to reenroll at Vanderbilt. W. Ellis Simmons came back on an emergency basis until V.T. Ring replaced Floyd, but Ring resigned at the end of the season.

1920 – Joe E. Conry, the head of the agriculture department, became the football coach. Mathematics instructor E.E. Kelly assisted. Kelly resigned at the end of the year to attend Vanderbilt Medical School.

1921 – John C. Clardy, an instructor in the agriculture department, was selected to coach, but resigned after one season.

1922 – Loyall H. Duyck was hired to coach football, as well as teach science and physical education. The first recorded season saw Tech go 2-1-4. Tech tied its first game of the season, 6-6, against Cumberland, then won its first with a 25-13 victory over Bethel. Duyck resigned after the season.

1923 – Preston Vaughn "Putty" Overall was hired to teach agriculture, as well as coach football, basketball and baseball. Overall, whom Overall Field at Tucker Stadium is named, became the first Tech coach to remain more than one season. He coached Tech through the 1946 season, then returned to coach the 1952 and 1953 teams.

1923 – The Golden Eagles allow the most points in program history, giving up 77 points in a loss to King College.

February 14, 1925 – The name "Golden Eagles" was announced as the Tech athletic team's official nickname on the front page of the Tech Oracle. Golden Eagles and Mountaineers were the final two choices before the Athletic Association, while other choices included Lions and Mountain Eagles. Golden Eagles won the vote 139-18.

1925 – Work begins on a proposed athletics field, almost four years after being presented to the Athletic Council.

1928 – The Golden Eagles score the most points in a game in program history, putting up 77 points against Alabama Normal, which later became the University of West Alabama.

1930 – Tech became a member of the Mississippi Valley Conference, but resigned in 1932.

1932 – Tech became a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, remaining a member until 1942, when World War II causes the league to disband.

1933-1934 – The Works Progress Administration, stemming out of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies, completed a small concrete stadium on the north end of the athletic field with a track around the field. On the concrete structure, wooden benches were added. Football would play at this site, on the west side of campus on Peachtree Street, until 1947, while baseball and track and field would use the field for many more years.

1939 -- The Golden Eagles went 6-3-1 and earned a share of the SIAA championship.

1939 – Holmes Neal and Creed McClure becomes the Golden Eagles' first All-Americans as the pair are recognized by The Associated Press.

1940 – Artificial lights are added to the Tech Athletic Field.

1947 – Hooper Eblen takes over the reins of the Golden Eagle football team and coaches the next three seasons.

1949 – A new football field is completed and named Overall Field, in honor of P.V. Overall, who had just resigned as head coach and became athletic director. The stadium structure held 8,000 fans and the financial drive was spearheaded by head coach Hooper Eblen. The new field is constructed immediately to the south adjoining the former field on 8th and Peachtree. Steel bleachers were constructed from surplus equipment from the U.S. Army.

1949 – Tech becomes a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, which is in its second year of existence. The Golden Eagles go 0-3 in its first year in the league, falling 26-7 to Murray State, 12-7 to Morehead State and 20-7 to Marshall. In the OVC that year: Marshall, Louisville (who departs after the season), Evansville, Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Murray State and Tennessee Tech.

1950 – Star Wood becomes Tech's new head football coach. He goes 9-12-1 in his two seasons, including a 4-8 record in the Ohio Valley Conference, then leaves to become head coach at East Tennessee State.

November 18, 1950 – Tech earns its first Ohio Valley Conference win, beating Evansville 13-0.

1950 – End Flavious Smith becomes the first Golden Eagle to be selected to the All-Ohio Valley Conference team.

September 22, 1951 – Tech gets its 100th win, topping Carson-Newman 42-6.

January 14, 1952 – Robert Hill Johnson, a student and assistant coach, is killed in a car crash. The White County native and former player at Alabama saw his playing career end after a shoulder injury. He enrolled into Tech and coached the offensive and defensive ends. 

January 25, 1952 – The Tennessee Tech Oracle student newspaper tells Robert Hill Johnson's story, stating that Johnson "exemplified all that is fine and good in the great game of football" and urged the university do something to honor his memory. The team establishes the Robert Hill Johnson Award, its highest honor, and Flavious Smith becomes the first winner.

1952 – Evansville and Marshall leave the Ohio Valley Conference, while Middle Tennessee joins the ranks.

1952 – University President Everett Derryberry asks P.V. Overall to return as the head football coach. Overall did so "out of a sense of loyalty and obligation, and 'with a feeling of personal reluctance.'" The move pays off – the Golden Eagles won their first Ohio Valley Conference championship with a 9-2 record, including a 4-1 mark against OVC teams, sharing the crown with Western Kentucky after Middle Tennessee defeated Tech in the final game of the regular season. Bobby Holloway was the nation's top placekicker, connecting on 34 straight PATs, then a school record. (Nick Madonia has the current longest streak, hitting 65 straight from 2016 to 2018.)

January 1, 1953 – Tennessee Tech plays in its first bowl game as the Golden Eagles faced East Texas State (now Texas A&M—Commerce) in the Tangerine Bowl -- which is now known as the Citrus Bowl. The Lions, out of the Lone Star Conference, won the game 33-0.

1953 – Tech repeated as OVC champions, going undefeated in the league and posting a 7-4 overall record.

1954 – Jerry Daniels becomes the first Golden Eagle selected in the National Football League draft. He was picked in the 24th round by the San Francisco 49ers with the 287th overall pick.

1954 – Wilburn Tucker, a former Golden Eagle standout and assistant coach, takes over as head coach, leading the Golden Eagles for 14 seasons until the 1967 campaign. He will go on to lead Tech to five Ohio Valley Conference championships.

1955 – Tech goes undefeated in the OVC and finishes 7-3 as the Golden Eagles win their third conference championship in four seasons.

1958 – East Tennessee State joins the OVC and will remain a member until 1977.

1958 – Tech wins the first of four consecutive Ohio Valley Conference titles, going 5-1 in league play. Tech shared the 1958 crown with Middle Tennessee, who topped the Golden Eagles 14-0 in the final game of the regular season.

November 26, 1959 – Middle Tennessee entered the final week of the season with a perfect 9-0 record, Tech 6-2-1. When the two teams met up in Murfreesboro, the two teams play to a 21-21 tie, splitting the OVC title for the second consecutive year. More on the 1959 team can be found here.

Shinny-Ninny in its rightful hands

1960 – Shinny-Ninny comes into play for the first time in the rivalry between Tennessee Tech and Middle Tennessee State University. Fred Harvey, owner of then Harvey's Department Store in Murfreesboro, donated the Alaskan totem pole that would be awarded to the winner of the annual game between the Blue Raiders and the Golden Eagles. The name Shinny-Ninny, to Tech fans, came after player Joe Mac Jaquess performed a "shinny-ninny fit" in the end zone after a Tech touchdown and broke his wrist. Blue Raider fans called it Harvey after the trophy's benefactor. The trophy was awarded for 38 years.

October 6, 1960 -- Tech earns its first appearance in a Top-25 poll, taking the No. 14-spot in the UPI poll for the NCAA College Division.

November 24, 1960 – Tech clinches both the Ohio Valley Conference championship and possession of Shinny-Ninny as the Golden Eagles beat Middle Tennessee 35-8. The Golden Eagles finish 8-3, 6-0 in the conference for their third-straight league title.

December 30, 1960 – Tech competes in its second bowl game, returning to Orlando, Fla., for the Tangerine Bowl against The Citadel. The Bulldogs, who were the runners-up in the Southern Conference, defeated Tech 27-0.

1961 – Tommy Hackler and Gordon Mason are both selected in the 1961 NFL Draft, the first time that two Golden Eagle players are drafted in the same season. Hackler (Rd. 13, 174th) was picked by the San Francisco 49ers and Mason (Rd. 20, 272nd) was picked by the Chicago Bears. Hackler then tried his luck with the American Football League draft and was picked in the 22nd round, 169th overall by the Denver Broncos.

1961 – The Golden Eagles once again go undefeated in OVC play, winning all six league contests to earn their fourth straight OVC championship and seventh overall.

1962 – Austin Peay joins the Ohio Valley Conference and remains a constant foe until the Governors go non-scholarship in football following the 1996 season.

1965 – Tennessee Polytechnic Institute officially becomes Tennessee Tech University.

1965 – Lonnie Warwick signs as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings and becomes a member of the famed "Purple People Eaters" defensive unit as a five-year starter. He plays 10 years in the league with the Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons.

1965 – Construction begins on the current football stadium. The 12,500-seat facility opens in time for the 1966 season, and remains in use to this day. The field is dedicated to P.V. "Putty" Overall.

1966 – P.V. "Putty" Overall is one of the inaugural inductees to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

October 8, 1966 – The Golden Eagles get their first win in the new stadium, as Wilburn Tucker's team beats East Tennessee State 14-3.

1967 – Wilburn Tucker was released from his role as head football coach following three losing seasons in his last four years. A popular figure, Tech students hung effigies of university president Everett Derryberry and athletic director Hooper Eblen on campus once news of his release was announced.

1968 – Don Wade, a Clemson assistant coach from 1953-67 and a Tiger standout who had two interceptions in the 1951 Orange Bowl, became Tech's new football coach, a tenure that lasted 15 years through the 1982 campaign. The Golden Eagles went 2-8, 2-5 in the OVC in his first campaign.

November 28, 1968 – Junior running back Larry Schreiber runs the ball a school-record 40 times as Tech beats Middle Tennessee 7-3 in Cookeville.

September 20, 1969 – Larry Schreiber rushes for 255 yards and records a school-record 312 all-purpose yards in a 35-24 loss to Northwestern Louisiana to open the season.

1969 – Larry Schreiber rushes for a Tech single-season record 1,522 yards. Derek White with 1,270 yards in 2007 is the only Golden Eagle rusher to come close since with seven 1,000 yard rushers following Schreiber, who had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his career. Michael Penix (1993 and 1995) is the only player since to break the 1,000-yard plateau since. Schreiber also had a school-record 1,901 all-purpose yards that season, as well as 13 touchdowns. Schreiber also becomes the first Golden Eagle to be named Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

1970 – Poly-Turf is installed in the football stadium, partly financed by the Putnam County School System as the facility will be used by both the Tech and Putnam County teams.

October 3, 1970 – Tech gets its 200th program win, topping UT Martin 17-6.

1971 – The football stadium is expanded its capacity to 16,500. A second box on the stadium's east side – designated for the University president and their guests – as well as 4,000 more seats are added to the stadium.

September 22, 1971 -- Tech cracks the Associated Press' College Division Top 25 for the first time, earning a No. 20-spot in the poll.

October 23, 1971 – 16,521 fans enter the grandstands to watch Tennessee Tech beat Morehead State 26-8, the largest attendance in Golden Eagle history. Jeff Axel rushed for 138 yards on 18 carries, while Jim Youngblood recorded 16 tackles to lead Tech to the Homecoming victory.

Jim Youngblood, Mike Hennigan and head coach Don Wade with a group of Tennessee Tech cheerleaders in a publicity photo

September 30, 1972 – Jim Youngblood records a school-record 23 tackles as Tech defeats UT Martin 13-10. Youngblood will end the season with a Tech record 156 tackles.

1972 – Jim Youngblood becomes the only Golden Eagle player to receive back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year honors, taking the defensive crown in both 1971 and 1972.

1972 – John Fitzpatrick ends the season with a single-year record 12 interceptions. Johnny Tucker with 10 in 1976 is the only other Golden Eagles with a double-digit tally for a single season.

1972 – Following an 8-2 record in 1971, Don Wade's Golden Eagles claim their first OVC crown in the 1972 campaign, going 10-1 in the regular season, an undefeated 7-0 in the Ohio Valley. 

December 9, 1972 – The Golden Eagles close out the season at the Grantland Rice Bowl in Baton Rouge, La., falling to Louisiana Tech 35-0.

1973 – Jim Youngblood becomes Tennessee Tech's highest NFL Draft pick, selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Rams with pick No. 42. Mike Hennigan also goes in the fourth round to the Detroit Lions with pick No. 81. It is the second – and last time to date – that Tech had two players drafted in the NFL Draft in the same season. Youngblood goes on to a 13-year career with the Rams and Washington Redskins, while Hennigan plays six with the Lions and the New York Jets.

October 6, 1973 – Despite a 27-14 loss to East Tennessee State, Dickie Fulton returns a kick 100 yards for a touchdown, the longest scoring play in Tech history and one that will be tied 36 years later.

1975 – The Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame is established. All five of the inductees have football ties as P.V. "Putty" Overall, Creed McClure, Holmes Neal, Tom Fan and James Dearing Miller are in the inaugural class.

1975 – Tech goes 8-3 and 6-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference to win their ninth conference title. It was Tech's last until the 2011 campaign.

1976 – Emmett T. Strickland (1933-36) is inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

1977 – Hooper Eblen and Wilburn Tucker is inducted into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame. Eblen and former University president Everett Derryberry are also inducted into the inaugural class of the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame.

October 29, 1977 – Tech gets both its 250th program win and 100th OVC victory as the Golden Eagles beat East Tennessee State 63-20.

November 2, 1977 -- The Golden Eagles earn its highest ever ranking in a Top-25 poll, tying for No. 3 in the Associated Press Division II poll.

1978 – The NCAA splits Division I football into two divisions: I-A (the top tier which includes all the power conferences) and I-AA (the bottom tier which includes most of the mid-major level schools).

September 9, 1978 – Tennessee Tech earns its first win against a I-A opponent as the Golden Eagles defeat Western Carolina 22-20. WCU was a member of the Southern Conference, who remained in the I-A level for a couple of years after the I-A/I-AA split.

1980 – Akron joins the Ohio Valley Conference and remains until the 1986 season.

1980 – The football stadium gets a facelift as a new synthetic turf is placed.

1980 – Coach Raymond "Bull" Brown is inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame. Larry Schreiber and Jim Ragland are inducted into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

October 18, 1980 – As part of the year's Homecoming festivities, the stadium is officially dedicated as Tucker Stadium.

1981 – Youngstown State joins the Ohio Valley Conference and remains through the 1987 campaign.

1981 – P.V. "Putty" Overall is inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame.

1982 – Don Wade calls it a career at Tech, following a 3-8 season, 1-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Wade returned to Clemson as a football administrator until 1988.

1983 – Following success as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator that resulted in an Independence Bowl appearance for Kansas State in 1982, Gary Darnell was lured away to become Tennessee Tech's new head coach for the first of three seasons at the helm. Among the coaches on Darnell's staff that later became head coaches themselves were Dennis Franchione and Gary Patterson. Tech finishes 2-8, 2-5 in the conference.

1983 – Jim Youngblood is inducted into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame. Raymond "Bull" Brown is inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

1985 – After compiling a 3-29 record at Tech, Gary Darnell's tenure as a head coach ends as he joins Al Groh's staff at Wake Forest as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, then left to take the same position at Florida four years later.

1986 – A familiar name takes the reins of the Golden Eagle football program as Jim Ragland, an all-OVC quarterback for the Golden Eagles, who later become an assistant coach and offensive coordinator, was tabbed as Tech's new head coach, a role he will hold until 1995.

1986 – Tennessee State joins the Ohio Valley Conference, but Tech will not face them in league play until the 1988 season.

1987 – Wilburn Tucker is inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame.

1988 – Star Wood is inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Tennessee Tech quarterback Patrick Pope poses for a media guide photo

October 1, 1988 – The Golden Eagles go to overtime for the first time (the NCAA brought overtime into I-AA in 1981, the OVC instituted it for the 1982 season) as Tech defeats Murray State 16-13.

September 9, 1989 – Ryan Weeks makes a school-record seven field goals in a 28-10 victory at Chattanooga. He also had a PAT for 22 points in the contest.

1991 – Tom Fann is inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

1991 – Southeast Missouri joins, while Western Kentucky leaves the Ohio Valley Conference.

1992 – UT Martin joins the Ohio Valley Conference.

November 7, 1992 – Tennessee Tech earns its 300th program win as the Golden Eagles top Tennessee State 26-10.

1993 – Don Wade is inducted into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

October 9, 1993 – Michael Penix runs for a school-record 261 yards in a 24-3 victory at Southeast Missouri.

1994 – Stadia Turf is put down in Tucker Stadium to replace the previous 13-year-old surface.

October 29, 1994 – Michael Penix breaks away for a 94-yard touchdown run in Tech's 38-21 win at Murray State. The play stands as the longest run from scrimmage in program history.

1995 – Morehead State goes to non-scholarship football and leaves the OVC in the sport.

1996 – Eastern Illinois joins the Ohio Valley Conference.

1996 – Jim Youngblood is inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

1996 – Another former Golden Eagle, Mike Hennigan, takes over for the departing Jim Ragland as head coach of the Tech team. Hennigan will coach the team through 2005.

November 22, 1997 – The Golden Eagles claim Shinny-Ninny for the last time, defeating Middle Tennessee 30-20.

October 3, 1998 – Shinny-Ninny returns to Murfreesboro as MTSU wins the final contest in the 38-year trophy battle, 19-16, as the Blue Raiders moved to the Division I-A level (later renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision) and the Sun Belt Conference. Harvey, as MTSU refers to the totem pole, now resides in the Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame.

October 24, 1998 – Tech defeats Eastern Kentucky in what becomes the longest game in school history as the Golden Eagles go to three overtimes to topple the Colonels 31-29, snapping a 22-game losing streak against EKU.

1998 – Defensive end Branon Vaughn is named the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

1999 – Western Kentucky briefly returns to the Ohio Valley Conference in football, but leaves following the 2000 campaign.

October 10, 1999 – Quarterback Grant Swallows completes an 87-yard touchdown pass to Tony Fragale during Tech's 23-10 win over the Hilltoppers. The play stands as the longest pass completion in program history.

1999 – Four Golden Eagles earn All-American honors as placekicker David Collett, offensive lineman Wes Gallagher, defensive end Branon Vaughn and defensive back Josh Symonette were selected.

2000 – Hooper Eblen is inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

August 14, 2000 – Freshman defensive back Preston Birdsong collapses while running sprints and dies. The pathology report noted Birdsong, 18, suffered systemic hyperthermia. The team wears patches on their uniforms honoring Birdsong for several seasons after.

2000 – Linebacker Chad Evitts, defensive end Chad Evitts, center Joey Bishop, defensive back Troy Grant and guard Andrew McGraw all earn All-American nods after the Golden Eagles go 8-3, the most wins Tech had in a season since a 9-2 campaign in 1977.

September 15, 2001 – Following the aftermath of the September 11 attacks four days earlier, countless college football games across the country are canceled, including Tech's game at Samford – the first time the Golden Eagles had a football game canceled.

September 29, 2001 – Quarterback Grant Swallows throws a school-record five touchdown passes in a 44-33 loss at Eastern Illinois.

2001 – Defensive end D.J. Bleisath receives All-American nods from four different organizations as The Associated Press, The Sports Network, Don Hansen's Football Gazette and Walter Camp put the Golden Eagle standout on their lists.

November 21, 2002 – Tech puts up the most points scored in a single game in the modern era as the Golden Eagles post 68 points in a 68-7 victory over UT Martin.

2003 – Watson Brown is inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

2003 – Jacksonville State and Samford join the Ohio Valley Conference. Samford leaves after the 2007 campaign.

September 11, 2004 – Wide receiver Drew Hixon is put into a medically induced coma following a helmet-to-helmet collision in a game against South Florida. He came out of the coma and returned to Cookeville in January at a basketball doubleheader, where he received a standing ovation from the fans in attendance. Hixon later worked for Tech Athletics, then earned his master's degree in 2010.

2005 – After not getting a player selected in the NFL Draft in 22 years, Frank Omiyale is selected in the fifth round by the Atlanta Falcons with the 163rd pick. He is the first player selected since Billy Blaylock in 1983 and the highest pick since Elois Grooms in the third round in 1975. Omiyale goes on to a six-year career with the Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks.

2006 – Don Wade is inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame.

2006 – The NCAA revises the Division I labels, dropping I-A and I-AA in favor of Football Bowl Subdivision for the top tier and Football Championship Subdivision for the lower tier.

2006 – Mike Hennigan steps down as head coach before the start of the season as he goes on medical leave. Offensive coordinator Doug Malone becomes the interim head coach. Tech finishes the season 4-7, 4-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

September 21, 2006 – Tennessee Tech defeats Eastern Kentucky 27-14 in the first nationally televised game from Tucker Stadium. The game was broadcast on ESPNU.

2006 – Quarterback Lee Sweeney is named the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year.

December 6, 2006 – Watson Brown, a Cookeville native, former Vanderbilt standout and long-time coach – most recently with a successful tenure with UAB's football program, is named Tech's newest head football coach. He will remain the coach through 2015.

2007 – Jim Youngblood is inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

2007 – Austin Peay returns to scholarship football and rejoins the Ohio Valley Conference in the sport.

2007 – As part of a major renovation, a new 24/7 turf surface is put down in Tucker Stadium, complete with the recent Tennessee Tech and Ohio Valley Conference logos. New lights were installed the following season, while an overhaul in the press box was completed afterward.

2007 – The Nashville Sports Council and the Ohio Valley Conference announced the formation of a round-robin competition between the Tennessee members of the conference – Austin Peay, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin. The Sergeant York Trophy, named after World War I hero Alvin C. York, will be awarded to the winner each season and becomes only the second traveling trophy in collegiate sports that involves more than two teams, joining the Commander in Chief Trophy.

September 13, 2007 – Derek White rushes for a school-record five touchdowns and 30 points as the Golden Eagles defeat Concordia College (Alabama) 55-7.

2007 – Larry Shipp breaks the Tech single-season record for points in a season, scoring 90, shattering the previous high of 78 held by Michael Penix in 1995 and Larry Schreiber in 1969. The mark will be tied four years later.

2008 – Wide receiver Tim Benford is named the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year.

2009 – Tech sweeps Austin Peay, UT Martin and Tennessee State to win its first Sergeant York Trophy.

2010 – Bill Dupes is inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

November 20, 2010 -- The Golden Eagles set the stage for the following season as they rallied from a 24-7 deficit at the end of the third quarter on the final game of the campaign to beat Jacksonville State 35-24, spoiling the Gamecocks' championship hopes as Southeast Missouri takes the OVC title and playoff berth.

November 19, 2011 – After a 36-year drought, Tech wins the Ohio Valley Conference championship for the 10th time with a 49-7 win over Austin Peay. The title is in a three-way tie with Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky – Tech beat both of those teams on the road to earn the conference's automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

November 26, 2011 – Tech makes its first-ever appearance in the FCS Playoffs, facing Central Arkansas at Tucker Stadium. The Bears won the game 34-14.

2011 – Dontey Gay ties the Tech single-season record for points in a season with 90 points scored.

2011 – Tech ties with Tennessee State for the Sergeant York Trophy, but the Tigers will receive the trophy by tiebreaker as the team without it the longest.

2011 – Wide receiver Tim Benford is named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

2012 – Headlines are made as Da'Rick Rogers, a troubled, yet talented receiver from the University of Tennessee, transfers to Tennessee Tech. 

September 22, 2012 – Senior quarterback Tre Lamb completes a school-record 38 passes out of 57 attempts for a record 481 yards in a 41-38 overtime loss to Southeast Missouri. Da'Rick Rogers caught 18 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns – all school records.

November 10, 2012 – The Golden Eagles rally, outscoring UT Martin 21-7 in the fourth quarter to force overtime, then the Skyhawks fumble the ball on a two-point conversion, giving Tech the 45-44 win and the Golden Eagles' 400th program victory.

August 29, 2013 – Tech records its largest Opening Day crowd in program history as 12,831 fans come to Tucker Stadium to see the Golden Eagles take on Cumberland University.

November 9, 2013 – Tech earns its 200th win in the Ohio Valley Conference, topping Southeast Missouri 41-16.

October 18, 2014 – Marty Jones intercepts a school-record four passes in a 39-31 victory over Eastern Kentucky.

December 2, 2015 -- Watson Brown retires as the head coach at Tech, ending a 43-year career, including nine seasons at the helm of the Golden Eagle program, as well as stops at Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Rice, UAB and Austin Peay.

January 4, 2016 – Marcus Satterfield is hired as the new head coach of the Tech football team after a successful run as the offensive coordinator at Temple. Satterfield leads the team to a 5-6 record, 5-3 in the OVC in his first season.

September 17, 2016 – Dontez Byrd returns a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, tying Dickie Fulton for the longest scoring play in Tech history.

Dontez Byrd makes a catch against Tennessee in 2016.

November 5, 2016 – Tennessee Tech plays in front of its largest audience in program history as the Golden Eagles travel to Knoxville to take on Tennessee. The Volunteers defeat the Golden Eagles 55-0 in front of 98,343 fans in Neyland Stadium.

November 12, 2016 – Sophomore Nick Madonia makes the longest field goal in program history as he hits a 57-yarder in a 44-16 win at Tennessee State. Madonia goes on to hit the next two longest as well, hitting a 54-yarder at Utah State and a 53-yarder at Jacksonville State, both in the 2018 season. Ryan Weeks (1989) and Murray Cunningham (1974) previously held the record at 53.

2016 – For the first time in the trophy's history, there is a three-way tie for the Sergeant York Trophy as Tennessee State, Tech and UT Martin all post 2-1 records in the round-robin. The Skyhawks, as the defending champion, receive the trophy by tiebreaker.

2016 – Senior transfer quarterback Michael Birdsong throws for a single-season record 2,577 yards, becoming the seventh Tech quarterback to surpass 2,000 passing yards in a season. He also set the single-season total offense record with 2,803 yards.

2017 – Senior wide receiver Dontez Byrd breaks his own single-season records for receiving yardage and receptions as he catches 78 passes to become the first Golden Eagle receiver to go over 1,000 receiving yards in a single year with 1,003.

December 23, 2017 – Former Golden Eagle player and assistant coach Dewayne Alexander becomes the current head coach of the Golden Eagle football team.

January 17, 2018 -- Former Golden Eagle linebacker Barry Wilmore earns the NCAA's highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Award. After his days at Tech, Wilmore became a combat pilot and astronaut, commanding space shuttle missions and spending time on the International Space Station.

2018 – A new Daktronics videoboard is added to Tucker Stadium. Measuring 81' by 31', the screen is, currently, the third-largest on-campus videoboard in the Football Championship Subdivision.

2018 – The Alexander era begins with a rebuilding project on the team. The Golden Eagles go 1-10, 1-7 in the conference for the second straight year, but Alexander gets his first win as a head coach on Homecoming as Tech beats Murray State 27-24.

2018 – Quarterback Bailey Fisher is named the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and was a finalist for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award, the freshman of the year award in the subdivision.

August 31, 2019 -- Tech rallies from a 23-point deficit to beat Samford 59-58 in double overtime, the most combined points in program history. Fisher went 2-for-3 on two-point conversions, while throwing for a career-high 415 yards, the third-most in program history. He ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more. The 671 yards of total offense recorded in the game is a school record.

September 28, 2019 -- Bailey Fisher passes for a school-record six touchdowns, breaking Grant Swallows' and Stephen Britton's previous record of five.