2023 Tennessee Tech Football News
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Tennessee Tech football alum, Sports Hall of Famer and University Trustee Barry Wilmore is back in space once again as the third time was the charm for the Boeing Starliner test flight mission as it successfully made it into orbit on Wednesday. The launch was scrubbed on May 6 and June 1 before Wednesday’s successful try. Wilmore and Suni Williams will dock with the International Space Station around 11:15 a.m. Thursday with a pump to fix equipment on the ISS, while also testing several of the Starliner’s capabilities including thruster performance, spacesuit functionality, manual piloting and safe haven capability as a shelter in case of a problem.
The Gaw family name is synonymous with development and real estate in the Upper Cumberland. Now, the longtime Cookeville business and philanthropic leaders are embarking on a new passion project: a generous gift supporting Tennessee Tech’s student-athletes given in memory of their close friend, Ottis Phillips. Jerry C. and Brenda Gaw recently provided a donation toward the construction of Tech’s state-of-the-art, 40,000-square foot Football Operations Center on the northwest end of campus. Once complete, the venue will include a new locker room and meeting rooms, players’ lounge, theater-style auditorium, sports medicine center and turf practice field.
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Tennessee Tech’s Kail Dava will get the opportunity to play on the next level as he was selected by the Canadian Football League’s B.C. Lions in their annual draft on Tuesday night. Dava was a highly-rated prospect before the start of the 2023 campaign with the Golden Eagles. He was selected with the 44th overall pick in the league draft.
Tennessee Tech alumnus Jim Bodak says he was inspired to give to the university’s Football Operations Center because of a shared vision among President Phil Oldham, Athletic Director Mark Wilson and Head Football Coach Bobby Wilder to take Tech’s football program to the next level. “I have a passion for football and the university,” Bodak said. “I’m excited that Coach Wilder is there, and I appreciate his enthusiasm and what all he is doing for the program. I want student-athletes to have the very best facilities to help them achieve success both on and off the field.”
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech defense won the day during Saturday’s spring game, but it certainly wasn’t a one-sided affair in the situational scrimmage as the Golden Eagles did see some offensive highlights as well. “I felt overall our football team got better today,” said Tech head coach Bobby Wilder. “I liked the attention to detail – it’s something that we’ve been working hard on. I feel like we played much faster today. The defense had some moments where they really shined. We had some big plays from the offense today. I felt like both quarterbacks (Dylan Laible and Jordyn Potts) performed very well and I was really pleased to see that good mix of returning offensive skill guys and the guys we brought in in January. They really showed the progress we’re making this spring.”
IRVING, Texas – As the National Football Foundation announced its annual Hampshire Honor Society, the roster included a record 1,989 student-athletes from all levels of college football – NCAA, NAIA and sprint football. Among those honorees, four Tennessee Tech football players – Brad Clark, Kail Dava, Cole Putnam and Trevor Stephens – were inducted as members of the exclusive group.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As Tennessee Tech continued its spring football work on Saturday at Tucker Stadium, class was in session as the Golden Eagles went through situational football with officials overseeing the action. “It was really important for us to get the officials here and put the uniforms on so it felt more like game situations,” head coach Bobby Wilder said. “I’m really pleased with their effort and attitude today. We did not have a good practice on Thursday and it was really good to see them bounce back and perform at a much higher level.”
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech football team has been able to get a lot more physical on the field as they continue their spring workouts. The Golden Eagles have already been trying to get stronger with their efforts in the Athletic Performance Center. Now, with the intensity cranked up and the players getting to be more active, the opportunity presents itself to get tougher.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the Tennessee Tech football team took to the Tucker Stadium turf on Thursday, the energy was electric. While it was just the second session of the spring, the team looked seasoned and excited. The offense made big plays, while the defense shined. As the coaches instructed, the student-athletes leaned in on every instruction. They cheered each other on and even jokingly tried to distract their teammates on the opposite side of the ball. It was all in good fun, but the biggest takeaway is that the Golden Eagles are progressing nicely as the spring is really just beginning.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – When college football rolls around in the fall, there’s always a sense of pageantry in the air as the campus community comes together to celebrate. There will be several occasions this fall on Tennessee Tech’s upcoming schedule as the University announced its dates for Family Weekend and Homecoming.
Tennessee Tech University is further strengthening its longtime partnership with supply-chain industry leader Averitt – this time through a major gift from the transportation powerhouse supporting Tech’s rebuilt football stadium. Tech previously announced plans to completely rebuild the west side of Tucker Stadium, home of Tech’s Golden Eagle football team since 1966, to offer new amenities, suites, upgraded seating and expanded concessions, among other improvements. Demolition is slated to begin later this spring. The university will also construct a state-of-the-art, 40,000-square foot football operations center complete with a new locker room and meeting rooms, players’ lounge, theater-style auditorium, sports medicine center and turf practice field. The venue marks a powerful demonstration of Tech’s investment in its student-athletes.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With playing and coaching experience in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Chase Mummau joins Tennessee Tech head football coach Bobby Wilder’s staff and adds additional years of experience on the Football Bowl Subdivision level to the Golden Eagles. Mummau will join the coaching staff, overseeing the safeties on defense.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Adam Raymond spends countless hours poring over video to help Tennessee Tech Football prepare for its next opponent, learn how to improve and grow and showcase some of its best moments. As a video coordinator, his efforts aren’t the ones highlighted on the field, but behind the scenes, what he is able to accomplish is invaluable as he oversees a staff of film students and breaks down footage from practice and games. It’s a day-to-day operation handling the coaches’ video to help them figure out what’s working and what isn’t.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Last season, Greg Jones coached on the other sideline against the Tennessee Tech Football team as he served as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Gardner-Webb. Helping guide the Runnin’ Bulldogs to the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association’s automatic berth into the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs and a share of the league’s championship with a 5-1 mark, Jones will now try to lead the combined conferences’ top defense to a championship as he joins the Golden Eagles’ staff as its new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech football staff, under the first-year direction of Bobby Wilder, are working away, filing the paperwork and crossing the T's and dotting the I's as they bring in a new class of Golden Eagles as part of Wednesday's National Signing Day. More paperwork is expected to come across as the day continues. The signees Wednesday so far include: Max Leven (Murrysville, Pa.), Turner McLaughlin (Pensacola, Fla.), Mason Taylor (Cookeville, Tenn.) and Steve Brown (Birmingham, Ala.).
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A 2020 inductee into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame, Thomas Squires was a leader, a friend and a tremendous player for the Golden Eagles. As he passed away on Friday, Squires leaves a tremendous legacy, serving as an inspiration for Golden Eagle football players to follow as to how to succeed on the field and become leaders in life. Squires was 59. Details on his memorial will be shared once they are available.
