COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech football coach Watson Brown has adjusted the Golden Eagle spring practice schedule and set a new date for the team’s annual Awards Dinner, allowing fans to attend the Purple vs. Gold Spring Game and dinner on the same day.

Practices are still slated to begin on Tuesday, March 17. The 15 practices will wrap up on Saturday, April 18, with the third and final head-to-head scrimmage beginning at 1 p.m. The Awards Dinner, which is open to the public, will be held at 5 p.m. that same day.

The dinner was originally set for March 1 but was rescheduled due to the crazy winter weather in the region.

Tech closed out last season with a 5-7 overall record following victories in two of the final three games. The roster includes 72 players returning from last year, including 52 lettermen and 24 who were in starting roles in 2014.

Tech will practice at 3 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday during Spring Drills, weather permitting, as well as Saturday and Sunday (March 21 and 22) of the first week. The first scrimmage is March 28 and the second is April 11, both at 1 p.m. The team will be off Easter weekend.

The team will gather Saturday evening (April 18) at 5 p.m. for Brown and his staff to present the annual awards, with the public is invited. The dinner will be held in the Roaden University Center. The cost of the dinner is $18 per person.

Brown will introduce the winners of the Robert Hill Johnson Award and several additional honors for the 2014 Golden Eagles including the Leadership Award, the Bill Dupes Inspirational Award, the Bumble Bee Award, the Unsung Hero Award, the Tech Pride Award and MVP honors by position. Brown will also announce the 2014 permanent team captains.

Fans wishing to attend the dinner can call the football office at (931) 372-3930 or the Athletics Ticket Office at (931) 372-3940.

Season tickets for the five-game home schedule will officially go on sale in at the Spring Game.