By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Over Tennessee Tech's 98 seasons of intercollegiate football, the program has earned 12 championships – 10 in the Ohio Valley Conference, two in the long-defunct Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
As the sport of college football recognizes its 150th birthday, celebrating the first game played between Rutgers and Princeton on Nov. 6, 1869, and how the game has evolved and created so many legends, it has given every program around the country an opportunity to celebrate its own past.
The word legends is appropriate as Tennessee Tech will celebrate one of its own legendary teams this weekend during the Golden Eagles' contest against Austin Peay on Saturday afternoon as the OVC-champion 1959 Tech squad will be recognized during the game as part of Tech Football's Legends Weekend.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
To look back at the 1959 season, it's a stark contrast to the game of today. Rushing was king for the Golden Eagles as 2,300 yards of Tech's offensive production of 3,268 over 10 games came on the ground.
A lot of those yards came from conference stat champ W.J. Shumaker, who rushed for an OVC-best 874 yards and scored 10 touchdowns.
Quarterback Gordon Mason ended the season with 903 yards as he completed 58 of 130 passes with eight touchdowns. Mason was also the OVC statistical champion in total offense (1,098) and passing yards, while Tommy Hackler led the conference in receiving for the first of two consecutive seasons as he hauled in 30 passes for 522 yards.
The trio of Mason, Hackler and Shumaker were all named to the All-Ohio Valley Conference team that season, taking three of the 12 total spots on the postseason team.
Mason and Hackler both went on to be selected in the 1961 NFL Draft – Hackler with the 174th pick by the San Francisco 49ers and Mason with the 272nd pick by the Chicago Bears – while Hackler was also the 169th pick by the Denver Broncos in the same year's AFL Draft.
Tech's defense that season also played a big part, holding its opponents to an average of 216.8 yards per game – much lower than the Golden Eagles' own 326.8. Tech yielded just five touchdown passes, while intercepting 13 and recovering 10 fumbles.
Head coach Wilburn Tucker's Golden Eagles finished 6-2-2 in 1959, including a 5-0-1 record in the Ohio Valley – the tie coming on the final game of the campaign, the annual Thanksgiving Day game between the Golden Eagles and bitter rival Middle Tennessee. The tie put the OVC crown in the hands of both Tech and the Blue Raiders who both finished with 5-0-1 league records.
The team included: (front row, from left) Coach Wilburn Tucker, Ronnie McCurry, Alcy Baggott, John Clayton, Rudy Schmittou, Kyle Kilgore, W.J. Shumaker, Eugene Oliver, Robert Hargis, (second row, from left) Coach Bill Dupes, Ronnie Lane, John Matlack, Jerry Flatt, Don Frider, Tony Heitzman, Ray Thomas, Clarence Blevins, Ken Fults, (third row, from left) Coach Ray Drost, Jimmy Newsom, Charles Spears, Dick Jacquet, Charles Lawler, Lawrence Ponder, LaRue Adcox, Joe Mac Jacquess, (fourth row, from left) Ralph McMillan, Gordon Mason, Tommy Hackler, Billy James, Bobby Carter, Myles Showers, Dave Baxter, (fifth row, from left) Dennis Cebe, Alvin Frey, Ralph Broyles, Carroll Wright, Lowell Smith, Phillip Christopher, Lyman Jones, (sixth row, from left) Coach Chuck Newman, Jerry Parris, Harry Wilkerson, Dink Adams, Wayne Larkin, Charles Black, Ray Stribling and Pedro Paz.
Sept. 20, 1959 | Florence State (now North Alabama) | Cookeville, Tenn. | T, 14-14
Florence State ran the single wing and employed the Notre Dame box offense as Lions quarterback Max Burleson threw for an early touchdown. Mason and Shumaker tied the game at seven, then later at 14. The Golden Eagles had an opportunity to win the game as back-up QB and kicker Carroll Wright hit a 32-yard field goal, but the kick was negated by an offsides call.
Sept. 27, 1959 | Memphis | Memphis, Tenn. | L, 14-3
Hackler had a solid game for the Golden Eagles, hauling in eight passes for 117 yards, but the Golden Eagles couldn't get into the end zone to answer Joe Loyd's two touchdown runs. Wright kicked a 33-yard field goal to provide all of Tech's scoring in the game.
Oct. 3, 1959 | Morehead State | Cookeville, Tenn. | W, 48-0
The Tech offense routed the visiting Eagles as Shumaker, Mason, Hackler, Ralph Broyles and Jerry Flatt found the end zone in the contest. Morehead State was also victimized by Kyle Kilgore, Charles Spears, Dave Baxter, Gene Oliver and Bob Hargis on the Golden Eagle defense.
Oct. 10, 1959 | East Tennessee State | Johnson City, Tenn. | W, 19-7
The previous three meetings against the Buccaneers had gone against the Golden Eagles, but Tech was victorious this time around as Jerry Parris led the Golden Eagles offensively. The story of the game, however, was on defense as Baxter, John Matlack and Jim Newsom led the Tech defenders to an effort that held ETSU to 101 yards – even as the Bucs' first drive of 78 yards was stalled when Mason intercepted the ball on the Tech 3 and returned it to the ETSU 17.
Oct. 17, 1959 | Western Kentucky | Bowling Green, Ky. | W, 29-19
It didn't take long for the Golden Eagles to score as Shumaker took the second snap of the contest, worked his way around the left tackle and powered his way to the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown run. Tech stayed on top the rest of the way, spoiling the Hilltoppers' Homecoming.
Oct. 24, 1959 | Murray State | Cookeville, Tenn. | W, 29-16
Rain soaked the home field and created a sloppy atmosphere, leading to a few costly fumbles, but behind the arm of Mason, the Golden Eagles had no problem holding off the Thoroughbreds-now-Racers. Mason had two touchdown passes, while Hackler caught one of those among his three catches for 67 yards. Shumaker ran for 70 yards. Murray State's Joe Morris ran for a 52-yard touchdown, but it wasn't enough to keep Tech from winning its fourth straight game and keep MSU from spoiling its own Homecoming.
Oct. 30, 1959 | Chattanooga | Chattanooga, Tenn. | L, 6-3
The Mocs – or Moccasins as they were then known – entered the contest the loser of four straight games. As the Golden Eagles entered their third straight Homecoming contest, Chattanooga aimed to finally get back in the win column. It was a defensive battle as the Golden Eagles could only muster a 30-yard field goal from Wright to take a 3-0 lead. That lead held until the final 24 seconds of the game as Chattanooga scored a touchdown and missed the PAT. With one last drive with time running out, Mason connected to Hackler for two passes for 61 yards, but time ran out for the Golden Eagles on the Chattanooga 2.
Nov. 7, 1959 | Eastern Kentucky | Cookeville, Tenn. | W, 14-10
Shumaker put the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard with an 80-yard touchdown run – a school-record at the time and still tied for eighth all-time in longest run from scrimmage – then caught a touchdown pass from Mason for the come-from-behind win.
Nov. 14, 1959 | Arkansas State | Cookeville, Tenn. | W, 16-6
The contest was expected to be a passing battle between Mason and Arkansas State QB Bob Caldwell, but the shivering fans in attendance in the chilly temps saw a ground war between the two squads. Tech was solid up front as Alcy Baggott, Ray Thomas, Charles Black, Baxter and Eugene Oliver allowed the Golden Eagle rushers – including Broyles, Flatt and Mason, who scored a TD on a QB keeper.
Nov. 26, 1959 | Middle Tennessee | Murfreesboro, Tenn. | T, 21-21
In what had become a Thanksgiving tradition, Tech and Middle Tennessee locked horns – the game deciding the OVC championship for the third straight year. MTSU had not lost a game and had already accepted a bid to the year's Tangerine Bowl in Orlando (which is now the Citrus Bowl).
The Golden Eagles, however, had no intention of taking the loss. Tech led the entire contest on the back of Mason's arm and Shumaker's legs, but the Blue Raiders cut the lead to 21-20 in the final minute of the game as MTSU's Ray Purvis scored on a 35-yard run. Instead of going for the potential game-winning two-point conversion (or game-losing if they failed), head coach Charles Murphy elected to kick the PAT, tying the game at 21 and keeping the Blue Raiders undefeated at 9-0-1 – they won their 10th game of the year at the Tangerine Bowl, defeating Presbyterian 21-12. Tech and Middle Tennessee shared the OVC crown at 5-0-1 in the league.
Photos: 1959 team photo (top); W.J. Shumaker vs. Middle Tennessee; Ken Fults blocks for Jerry Flatt vs. Arkansas State; Ralph Broyles vs. Western Kentucky; Tommy Hackler vs. Memphis State.
