By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Over the past two seasons, it has been a common occurrence to hear coaches in the Ohio Valley Conference talk about how Tennessee Tech football is building its program the right way.
Evidence of that belief was handed down on Wednesday as the conference awarded the Golden Eagles its 2019-20 Team Sportsmanship Award for football – the second-straight year the award went to Tech and third overall since the award was originally presented in 2005.
"It's special and it means a lot to us because it represents what we're about," Tech head coach Dewayne Alexander said. "Of course we want to be successful on the field, but we want to win doing things the right way. Our student-athletes should be doing the right things on and off the field.
"That's what the Golden Eagle Way is all about. It's an honor to see our peers recognize that and see what's going on here. Doing things the right way is important to us and it's an honor for everyone associated with our program to be recognized for that."
Tech Director of Athletics Mark Wilson agreed, emphasizing the values demonstrated by the program.
"We are thrilled to see Coach Dewayne Alexander, the football staff and our student-athletes recognized for what we already know – they are all people of high character," Wilson said. "At Tennessee Tech, we have had a strong tradition of our student-athletes reaching for greater heights even after their years here, whether it's teaching the next generation or aiming for the stars.
"The Golden Eagle Way that Coach Alexander and his staff emphasize stretches far beyond just the playing field, and so many of those same values are shared across our respective programs. With the improvement the team showed this season, we know that Tennessee Tech is moving in the right direction."
The award is voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the conference's respective sports and is bestowed on the conference team deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA, which includes the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators and fans.
"Without sportsmanship, there are truly no meaningful victories," said Beth DeBauche, OVC Commissioner. "The recipients of the OVC Team Sportsmanship awards should accept this award with great pride for their fellow competitors have made it clear their teams exemplify the best in intercollegiate athletics. In receiving this prestigious honor other competitors are saying these student-athletes compete with class, respect their opponents and value fair play. That is quite a compliment as those are all traits that will lead to true victories throughout the course of life."
The Golden Eagles finished 6-6 this past season, tied for the second-best turnaround in the Football Championship Subdivision with UT Martin and Southern Illinois all increasing their win totals by five on the previous season. Sacramento State had the largest improvement with seven more wins and could see more as it is competing in the FCS Playoffs.
The Team Sportsmanship awards were instituted in 2005 and stand as the OVC's newest addition to an awards program that recognizes and celebrates sportsmanship within the league. In 1998, the OVC established the Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to a male or female student-athlete of junior or senior status who best exemplifies the characteristics of the late Morehead State student-athlete, coach and administrator. Five years later, the conference added the OVC Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to the member institution selected by its peers to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and the NCAA.
In 1995, the OVC implemented a first-of-its-kind "Sportsmanship Statement," a policy promoting principles of fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one's opponent. The statement answered the challenge of the NCAA Presidents Commission to improve sportsmanship in collegiate athletics and has become a model for others to follow across the nation.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
