Tennessee Tech to celebrate official entry into the Southern Conference with July 1 community event
Fans welcome to attend as Golden Eagles step into new chapter
By Jonathan Frank, TTU Communications and Marketing
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech University will mark the start of a new era for its NCAA Division I athletic program with a community-wide event on Wednesday, July 1, commemorating the university's official entry into the prestigious Southern Conference (SoCon).
The celebration will begin at 11 a.m. in the Hooper Eblen Center and is open to the public. Guests will enjoy refreshments and giveaways, hear remarks from university and athletics leaders and witness the unveiling of a new Southern Conference logo that will be prominently displayed in the arena lobby.
The event comes at a time of unprecedented momentum for Tech Athletics, as construction nears completion on the new Tucker Stadium West Side ahead of the Golden Eagles' Aug. 29 season opener against Monmouth University. Earlier this spring, the university announced that all premium suites in the revitalized stadium had sold out months before the first kickoff. Season tickets for reserved club-level seats remain available.
"This is a milestone moment for Tennessee Tech," said Casey Fox, Tech's director of athletics. "Joining the Southern Conference and preparing to open a transformed Tucker Stadium represents the beginning of an exciting new chapter. There is tremendous energy surrounding our programs, and we look forward to celebrating this day with our students, alumni, fans and the entire Upper Cumberland community."
Tech's historic move caps off more than 75 years of membership in the Ohio Valley Conference and makes the SoCon an 11-member conference, including in-state competitors East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The conference transition also comes on the heels of Tech's marquee hire of Head Men's Basketball Coach Tobin Anderson and the 35th consecutive semester in which Tech student-athletes have posted a composite GPA above 3.0.
"The depth of support Tennessee Tech continues to receive here in Cookeville and across the Upper Cumberland is what makes moments like this possible," said Tech President Phil Oldham. "We want to invite all of our friends and neighbors to celebrate with us. This is their hometown university, their athletic program, their new stadium and their shared accomplishment."
Season tickets for the Golden Eagle football team's 2026 season in the new Tucker Stadium are available now at www.ttusportstickets.com.
