By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Thomas Squires only saw action for two seasons in the Tech purple and gold, but there's no question the Merritt, N.C., native made an impact.
A JUCO All-American in his days at Chowan Junior College (now Chowan University on the NCAA Division II level), Squires came to Cookeville for the 1985 season. As he played in all 11 games for the Golden Eagles in Gary Darnell's final season as head coach, Squires collected more than half of his 112 tackles that season in the final four games of the season with 62 in that span – 15.5 tackles per game.
He is one of four inductees into the 46th class of the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame. After forgoing last year's induction ceremony due to the ongoing factors surrounding COVID-19, the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame returns in 2021 and will hold its 46th and 47th inductions during Homecoming weekend, Nov. 12-13. In addition to the Class of 2021 being recognized, the Class of 2020 will also be honored and officially inducted, with Squires, A.J. Kirby-Jones (baseball, 2008-10), Stephanie Place Buchanan (women's cross country/track & field, 2005-10), and Borja Zarco (men's tennis, 2005-08) all set to join this year's class, consisting of Frank Harrell (men's basketball head coach/administration, 1980-present), Morris Irby (baseball, 1968-71), Leah Meffert Turner (volleyball, 2007-10), Chad Oberacker (baseball, 2008-11), and Ashley Potts Williams (softball, 2004-07), as the newest members of the TTU Sports Hall of Fame.
As his first season at Tech came to a close, Squires ranked second on the team in tackles – trailing only Tech Hall of Famer Barry Wilmore's 143. He also collected 11 tackles-for-loss for 42 yards to stand among the top in the Ohio Valley Conference. Squires also sacked two quarterbacks, recovered a fumble, forced two fumbles, deflected four passes, and blocked a kick.
Even more impressive was Squires put together those numbers while fighting through a shoulder injury.
Squires was an easy pick to both the OVC's 1986 preseason squad and The Sporting News' Division I-AA Preseason All-America team. However, despite sitting out spring drills to heal his shoulder, the injury didn't heal enough to allow him to play the season and he took a medical redshirt in Jim Ragland's first season as Tech's head coach.
The year off didn't slow Squires down. A preseason All-OVC pick without even playing a down in the previous season, the linebacker tandem of Squires and Bruce Hatfield drew comparisons to the Jim Youngblood and Mike Hennigan days of yore – not too surprising when Hennigan was presently serving as the Golden Eagles' defensive coordinator.
Squires finished the year with 136 total tackles, leading the team and stood as the sixth-best single-season total in recorded program history. Since then, only two players – Tra'Darius Goff in 2015 and Daniel Wentzel in 2002, both with 132 – have even come close.
Squires also collected five sacks, had nine tackles-for-loss, forced a fumble, broke up 10 passes, and intercepted two passes. He was one of four Tech players to earn first-team All-OVC honors in 1987, joining Jimmy Isom, Ken Gilstrap, and Lorenza Rivers.
Before the books were closed on the 1987 campaign, Squires collected two All-America nods – one from The Football News and another from "Leonard's Super Squad," from radio personality Leonard Postostes, recognizing players from teams that finished below the .500 mark – Tech was 5-6 that season.
At the end of his Tech career, his 248 career tackles ranked eighth, but the mark has since been surpassed.
Following the 1988 NFL Draft, Squires signed as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints, as Hatfield and Kelly Averitt signed with the New York Jets.
After his effort to play professionally, Squires returned to campus and earned his bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education in 1990.
The Hall of Fame Dinner will be held on Friday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Multipurpose Room of the University Center. Tickets are available through the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office by calling 931-372-3940 or by visiting TTUSports.com. Both groups will also be recognized at the Homecoming football game on Saturday afternoon against UT Martin, which features a 1:30 p.m. CT kickoff.
