Willie Miller

• Article
• April 21, 2021

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – In the history of the Robert Hill Johnson Award, Tennessee Tech football’s highest honor, only a third have been defensive players. Fourteen of those have been linebackers – which isn’t a surprise considering the Golden Eagles have had some great ones over the years. From John Tanner in 1970 to Jim Youngblood in the historic 1972 campaign, Dana Winningham in 1973, Mark Shrum in 1977, Jeff Daughtry in 1984 and future astronaut and NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award winner Barry Wilmore the next year, Mike Thornton in 1988, Fred Edgington in 1989, Marrio Thomas and Maurice Draine in 1992 and 1993, Sammy Sanders in 1997, Chad Evitts in 2000, Daniel Wentzel in 2002 and Tommy Harrison in 2004, there have been incredible ones to win the award. Among these players are Tech Sports Hall of Famers, Golden Eagles who have shaped the program over the years and setting the stage for the team now.

• Article
• April 15, 2021

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – With the 2020-21 Ohio Valley Conference football season drawing to a close, the league announced its postseason award winners on Thursday. Tennessee Tech came away with four awards as senior defensive end Chris Tucker made his second consecutive appearance on the All-OVC first-team roster, senior offensive guard Mike Rhoades made a back-to-back appearance on the second-team squad, redshirt junior safety Josh Reliford made his first all-OVC appearance on the second team, and freshman cornerback Jyron Gilmore was selected to the conference’s All-Newcomer team. The awards were voted on by the conference’s head football coaches and sports information contacts.

• Article
• April 09, 2021

MARTIN, Tenn. – It’s almost surprising how quickly the eight weeks for the 2020-21 Ohio Valley Conference football season have passed by. From ice and snow on the Tucker Stadium turf on the first week to spring weather on the final week, it’s been an interesting ride. Even as soon as this spring slate wraps up, it won’t be long before the Tennessee Tech football team gets back out on the field and gets ready for the next season. But before it gets to that point, the Golden Eagles have one last order of business before a well-deserved break – beat UT Martin.

• Article
• April 03, 2021

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech head coach Dewayne Alexander's had quite a few big wins in his career. His 50th however may mean a lot more to him. As the Golden Eagles recognized their seven 2020-21 seniors before Saturday's game against Tennessee State, Tech built on that momentum, surging to a 14-0 lead and never looking back as the Golden Eagles topped the visiting Tigers 24-10. "Our guys have fought hard this season, they've been resilient," Alexander said. "We knew if we could pull together four quarters and play Golden Eagle football, we can certainly play with anybody. We've shown that. We had some tough games this season and I'm really proud of the way our team has responded."

• Article
• April 01, 2021

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – When Senior Day usually rolls around in football season, the skies are gray, the leaves are falling and the weather has turned cooler. Saturday, as the Tennessee Tech football team honors its 2020-21 senior class, it’s be the exact opposite – sunny, everything is blooming and spring weather in the air. The page on the calendar may be different, but make no mistake – it’s still football, and there’s still plenty to play for. With Tennessee State coming to town on Saturday, the Sergeant York Trophy is once again in play and the matchup stacks up as an intriguing one. The Easter weekend special kicks off at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Roger Ealey and Buddy Pearson will broadcast the game on 98.5 KISS FM, while Dylan Vazzano and Sam Brooks will provide the call on ESPN+ (subscription required).

• Article
• March 28, 2021

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri scored 21 points on its first three drives of the game, taking up only 5:20 of the opening quarter. Tennessee Tech could have thrown in the towel there, but the Golden Eagles surged back, clawing within three points with 3:20 left in the game. However, the home Redhawks were able to take a page out of the Golden Eagles’ playbook and eat up the remaining time on the clock to eke out a 24-21 win over Tech. The Golden Eagles fall to 1-4 on the season with two games remaining in the 2020-21 spring campaign and will have a short week as Tech hosts Tennessee State at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday for the final home game of the season.

• Article
• March 27, 2021

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – As Tennessee Tech heads into its fifth contest of the 2020-21 spring football season, there’s still plenty to play for entering the final three games of the season. First, the Golden Eagles can secure a winning campaign by taking the last three games. Secondly, with victories over Tennessee State and UT Martin, Tech can claim the Sergeant York Trophy for the 2020-21 campaign. Third, the Golden Eagles can continue the progress it has shown over the course of the season. Tech continues the season on Sunday as the Golden Eagles take on Southeast Missouri on Sunday, starting at 2 p.m. Dylan Vazzano will provide the broadcast on 98.5 KISS FM, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).

• Article
• March 21, 2021

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois took its beating at the hands of the Tennessee Tech football team in 2019 personally. From the onset of the game, the Panthers put pressure on the Golden Eagles as EIU was ready to shed its winless label. The energy on their sideline, the chanting at the Tech players – they remembered. Oh, how they remembered. Before half of the opening quarter had worn away, Eastern Illinois was up by two scores. It then became a mission for the Golden Eagles to chip away. Tech did, climbing back within four points before halftime. But it wasn’t enough as EIU climbed back out by 18 in the third quarter.

• Article
• March 19, 2021

CHARLESTON, Ill. – As the first three weeks of spring football for the Ohio Valley Conference have progressed, Eastern Illinois keeps climbing closer, but the Panthers haven’t quite hit paydirt yet. EIU (0-3) saw Southeast Missouri hang 47 points on them in the season opener in Charleston, but in the last two weeks on the road, the Panthers have made huge strides, falling by a pair of touchdowns at UT Martin two weeks ago, then Tennessee State knocked off EIU on a last-second field goal for a 21-20 defeat. Now the Panthers will try their luck against the Golden Eagles as Tennessee Tech heads up north to take on Eastern Illinois on Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Dylan Vazzano will provide the broadcast on 98.5 KISS FM, while Mike Bradd and Jack Ashmore will handle the broadcast duties on ESPN+ (subscription required). As the Golden Eagles (1-2) enter the program’s 984th contest and 13th at O’Brien Field, the trips to Charleston have not been kind to Tech. EIU is 9-4 against the Golden Eagles on its home turf, with only three of those wins coming in Ohio Valley play – 1999, 2011 and 2019. But, to be fair, Tech only has five wins over EIU in the OVC era for the Panthers, adding an overtime win in 2004 and a 2010 win at Tucker Stadium into the mix.

• Article
• March 14, 2021

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It came down to the wire on Sunday as Tennessee Tech and Murray State faced off at Tucker Stadium. While the Golden Eagles’ offense missed several notable pieces in the skill positions and in the trenches, the Tech attackers still put up impressive numbers, especially with Willie Miller and Kurt Taylor Jr. putting together breakout games. However, the Racers were able to capitalize on turnovers. Murray State picked off two passes for touchdowns and forced four turnovers. The final interception on a driving Golden Eagle team in position to win the game turned out to seal the deal though as the Racers took a 36-31 victory on Sunday afternoon.

• Article
• March 12, 2021

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Dean Hood era at Murray State is off to a strong start. There’s no question about his ability to win in the Ohio Valley Conference – after all, he had plenty of success as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky. Now as the head jockey in the stable, Hood has the Racers storming out of the gate, picking up victories over UT Martin and Southeast Missouri to open the spring football slate. On Sunday, their focus is on Tennessee Tech.

• Article
• February 28, 2021

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Defensive players got the spotlight on Sunday as Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State combined for five turnovers in their final Ohio Valley Conference matchup from Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium. The Golden Eagles had five turnovers, the Gamecocks three as both teams were able to convert into 13 points. However, the JSU defense was able to stall the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard as well, taking a 24-10 victory. Tech falls to 1-1 in the spring OVC schedule and will have an open date next Sunday, scheduled for the OVC Basketball Tournament in Evansville, Ind. JSU (4-1, 1-0 OVC) will make up its postponed game at Tennessee State next Sunday.