By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Direcrtor for Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech’s Spring Football Game Thursday night won’t be as much about football as it will be about fun, new traditions, and setting in motion the momentum toward a successful 2016 season for Golden Eagle players and fans.
It’s not so much about moving the chains as it is about moving Golden Eagle fans.
Especially Tech students, who will be featured as part of the action as guest kickers, guest punters, play callers, and karaoke contestants.
Karoake? At a football game?
Students in the stands calling plays?
“We want to showcase our brand of football, and the energy that we plan to create in Tucker Stadium this fall,” said first-year head coach Marcus Satterfield, the mastermind behind the madness. “We plan to have heavy student involvement, and show everyone how much fun Tech football will be.”
The night’s activities are all free, and the evening calls for a handful of surprises.
Everything begins with a Kid’s Clinic on the field at 5:30 p.m. All kids need to do is show up and join in the fun on the field with the Golden Eagle players and coaches.
“The Youth Clinic will really be fun,” Satterfield said. “So many kids in the area have met our players at the events we’ve participated in at the schools, and those kids are ready to get out on the field with their favorite player.”
The event runs from 5:30 until 6:15 p.m., and kids of all ages are welcome.
The scrimmage begins at 7 p.m. under the lights.
“It’s going to be an energetic hour-and-a-half, and we hope everyone will say ‘dang, it’s over’ and ‘I can’t wait until the home opener in September’.”
Satterfield speaks with glee about the plans heading into Thursday’s action.
“I’m not even going to coach Thursday night,” Satterfield said. “I’ll be up on the stage teaching our fans our new traditions. It’s a chance to introduce our players and showcase their abilities.
“For our players, this game is meant to be fun. It’s a reward to them for all of the hard work they’ve done in community service and outreach activities, on campus and in the community.
“We hope that the people we’ve reached out to will repay the players by coming to this game, and all of our games. When they see our players, we want them to know them by face, not just by their numbers.
“We want our players to see that people care about them,” he said.
The Purple and Gold squads will square off on the field, and each will include a handful of additions from the general student body. Tech students will be called upon to do kicking and punting. Up in the stands, Tech students will have access to the team’s playbook and make the calls to the sidelines about which plays to run, and which defenses.
It will be a lot like a real-life video game.
In between the action, Satterfield will teach the fans and student body about some new traditions the team plans to debut in the stands this fall. There will be music from DJ Freaky Dave of 98.5 Kiss FM, a karaoke contest, and halftime performances by the Tech Cheer and Dance teams.
Plans also include giveaways such as t-shirts being tossed into the stands and more.
Season tickets are on sale now for the 2016 Golden Eagle five-game home schedule. For tickets, or more information, please visit the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center or call (931) 372-3940. Tickets may also be purchased online at TTUsports.com.
