The Tennessee Tech Athletic Department unveiled a new brand on
Aug. 31, 2006, with an all-new set of logos for the Golden
Eagles.
The brand is new, but the tradition remains -- the name Golden
Eagles. How did TTU adopt the name?
In the first quarter of this century, Tennessee Polytechnic
Institute was a tiny school, located in the rugged, mountainous
Upper Cumberland region where Golden Eagles were plentiful, soaring
above the lush, upland forests. It's easy to understand how those
early students and faculty could narrow their choices for their
athletic team's nicknames to "Golden Eagles" or "Mountaineers."
On February 14, 1925, the nickname "Golden Eagles " was officially
adopted. The school newspaper, The Oracle, printed a story that
outlined the efforts of a committee to suggest several possible
nicknames to Athletic Association members for their consideration.
The two most popular names were "Golden Eagles" and "Mountaineers,"
and the association, by a vote of 139-18, proudly declared its
preference.
It wasn't until 27 years later that a tangible mascot found its way
to the campus. Several Tech students braved a driving night
rainstorm to pilfer a huge block-tin eagle statue from the charred
ruins of a resort hotel in Monteagle. They painted the creature -
with a wingspan of over six feet - a glistening gold, and suspended
it from the rafter for public inspection at the following day's
basketball game in Memorial Gym.
Then-Governor Frank G. Clement, a lifelong friend of the hotel
owner, was in Cookeville to speak . He worked out a compromise
between his friend and the school students, who wanted to retain
the eagle as their mascot.
Over the years, a wide variety of artwork and drawings have been
used to represent the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. Some of those
include a drawing which appeared in media guides in the mid 1970s,
and a cartoon-style mascots in the early 1980s that was dubbed
‘the purple chicken” by Tech students.