By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Following 21 years leading the Tennessee Tech athletic department to new levels of success across the playing fields, the classroom, and the community, Mark Wilson is resigning as director of athletics for the Golden Eagles effective June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
A national search will begin immediately for a director of athletics.
Wilson assumed his role as Tennessee Tech University's director of athletics in July 2004. Over his more than 20 years at the helm of the department, he has led the Golden Eagles to 45 Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships and 18 appearances in NCAA Championships, highlighted by the 2018 baseball team's Super Regional appearance.
He has also championed Tennessee Tech's commitment to academic achievement, with Golden Eagle student-athletes achieving 32 straight semesters with a department GPA above 3.0. In his tenure, 19 individual members of the purple and gold have taken home the OVC Scholar Athlete Award, the league's highest honor presented to student-athletes. As a whole, Tech has claimed 23 OVC Team Academic Awards and earned two OVC Institutional Sportsmanship Awards.
"It has been a great privilege and my absolute honor to serve the thousands of amazing, high-achieving student-athletes of Tennessee Tech over the last 21 years," Wilson expressed. "I am proud of the academic, athletic, and community successes they achieved, with excellent teaching and leadership from the TTU faculty, coaches, and staff. I want to extend deep gratitude to Dr. Bob Bell for providing me this opportunity in 2004, and am thankful to have had the pleasure to serve both Dr. Bell and Dr. Phil Oldham as director of athletics.
"I have loved working alongside our donors, corporate partners, alumni, fans, community members, coaches, and staff to propel Tennessee Tech Athletics, Putnam County, and the City of Cookeville to new heights. Thank you for blessing me in so many immeasurable ways. Wings Up!"
Currently one of the top-10 longest-serving ADs at the same institution among all 365 Division I programs, Wilson has seen the success of the department continue to grow in the 2024-25 campaign. The Golden Eagle soccer, football, and women's basketball teams each captured regular-season titles while the women's hoops squad also won the OVC Tournament and a berth to the NCAA Championships.
"We are immensely grateful to Mark for his unwavering commitment to Tennessee Tech and the success of our student-athletes not only on the field, but also in the classroom," said TTU President Dr. Phil Oldham. "Mark has been a beacon to the University and the Cookeville community, ushering in new levels of athletic, academic, and community success. He has also helped Tennessee Tech navigate a global pandemic and the biggest changes the college athletics landscape has ever seen. I am thankful for all that Mark has done for Tennessee Tech and our students."
Under his watchful eye, improvements to the department have been plentiful. The Hooper Eblen Center has seen the creative addition of basketball offices and the Pruett Director's Skybox, improved locker rooms, spectator seating, restrooms, branding, its first-ever videoboard, and the second on-campus floor projection system in the country.
Wilson's vision of a new Tucker Stadium was first stated in the 2004-05 Facilities Strategic Plan developed in Partnership with The Facility Group and their owner/TTU baseball alum James Wilson. Tucker Stadium is currently in the midst of this massive renovation, with a new state-of-the-art facility under construction on the west side of the field. Prior to this, he orchestrated two artificial field upgrades, track and light upgrades, while enhancing the fan experience with a new sound system and videoboard – one of the largest in the Football Championship Subdivision.
The three-time defending OVC regular season champion soccer program has seen enhancements to the grass playing surface and lights at Tech Soccer Field, which have helped propel the program. The 25,000-square-foot Athletic Performance Center, which opened in 2011, has become a crucial piece to athletic performance and life on campus.
Both Quillen Field at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex and Tech Softball Field were recently remodeled, with turf installed over both playing surfaces and new, padded outfield walls installed at each facility. Baseball's lights were upgraded to LED in 2022.
Wilson also oversaw the transition of Cookeville Golf Club into Tennessee Tech's hands as it became Golden Eagle Golf Club. The facility allowed a place for the Tech men's and women's golf teams to practice as well as coaches' offices, while also providing a meeting area for athletic functions and events. The privately funded short game facility opened in August of 2024.
"During our search for an AD at the time of Mark's hiring, every Tennessee Tech coach expressed that we needed rastic improvements in facilities, a full allotment of assistant coaches as allowed by the NCAA, and improved budgets, especially in the area of recruiting dollars," former Golden Eagle associate athletic director director for compliance and current special assistant to the athletic director Frank Harrell explained. "Mark dramatically improved every facility for each team in his time at Tech, and each sport has a full allotment of NCAA coaching positions. And with the help of two Presidents, our teams' budgets have gone from being in the lower third of the league to being in the top two or three in the conference.
"This has enabled our teams to compete for championships. Mark has been unusual in that he always 'rolled up his sleeves' and jumped in to help whenever needed. It was not unusual to see Mark shoveling snow so the TSSAA Football Championships could go on, or to see him drying the tennis courts. Mark has always worked hard to better the experiences for our student-athletes and coaches. But the best thing, in my opinion, has been his relationship with student-athletes. He always seems to know each by name, and he was always there to make sure the student-athlete experience was outstanding. His mantra was that he wanted every athlete to leave here with a ring on one hand and a diploma in the other."
He also initiated a branding and standard graphic identity program for regional and national recognition of Tennessee Tech athletics. Golden Eagle teams have also been supportive in community outreach programs, such as Habitat for Humanity and Mustard Seed Ranch, a local home for disadvantaged youth.
Under Wilson's leadership, relationships in the community and beyond have strengthened with partnerships with the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, the Tech student body, and the campus community. He played an important part in Tennessee Tech and Cookeville hosting the TSSAA BlueCross Bowl high school football state championship games from 2009 to 2020.
Tech, during Wilson's tenure, has also seen a growth in media exposure for Tech's athletic programs with the OVC Digital Network into the conference's current streaming partnership with ESPN+. With an updated branding initiative, modern ticketing, and increased digital presence, following Golden Eagle athletics has become easier for fans.
Wilson was named one of four recipients of the Athletic Director of the Year Award for the Football Championship Subdivision in 2013, presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America. He has also been active in the OVC's governance structure, serving as the chair of the conference Board of Directors of Athletics for two terms, and represented the OVC on the NCAA Leadership Council.
He served as the President of the FCS ADA Executive Committee after a year as the First Vice President. Wilson has also served a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee, was its Chair in 2015-16, and currently serves on the NCAA FCS Football Oversight Committee.
