PART ONE: The pre-varsity years (1916-1921)

By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the Tennessee Tech football team took its first established steps, the first objective was to build its identity. Chief among those tasks was building a place to play.

As the University's 1917-18 catalog stated: "There are tennis courts on the campus, and a splendid athletic field for football, baseball and out-door track work." But the needs shifted quickly and on December 8, 1921, University president Quentin M. Smith presented to the Athletic Council a proposal for a new athletic field.

While the plans were there, it took until 1925 before the development started as the field was graded, drained and fenced in by the spring of 1926. The project continued to develop during the Great Depression as a small concrete stadium was built by way of Works Progress Administration projects on the north end of the field, followed by a cinder track around the field. Wooden benches were later added to the concrete seating.

The complex was described in the 1934-35 Catalog: "Athletic Field. – The athletic field is located on the west side of the campus on Peachtree Street. The field is 420 x 450 feet and consists of football, practice field, baseball diamond and quarter mile cinder track of standard design and construction. Seating facilities are provided in the concrete stadium for football and track and in bleachers of good construction for baseball."

By 1940, lights had been added to the complex. The football team continued to play in the facility until 1948 as Overall Field was completed to the immediate south and connected to the previous complex. At that time, baseball, track and intramurals continued to use the original field.

Overseeing athletics during these early years between 1916 and 1921 was the Athletic Committee, made up of faculty members. In 1921, it was replaced by the Athletic Council – faculty members, students and prominent Cookeville citizens – and that lasted until about 1930.

As the facility project was beginning, the search was on for what to call Tech's athletic teams.

The following appeared on the front page of the February 14, 1925, issue of the Tech Oracle:

'GOLDEN EAGLE' ADOPTED AS NAME FOR TECH TEAMS

Name Adopted After A Heated Discussion At Meeting Of Athletic Association

As a result of a movement begun some time ago by the Oracle, to secure an official name for Tech's Warriors, quite a number of names were submitted by students and others interested in the school. All names were carefully considered by the committee appointed for the purpose, and two, the 'Golden Eagle' and 'Mountaineers', were selected as best by the committee and placed before the members of the Athletic Association for a vote.

At the first meeting of the Association it developed that some members were inclined to call for a vote on other names. 'Mountain Eagle' and 'Lions' were placed before the meeting. On the first ballot two names, 'Mountain Eagles' and 'Lions' were eliminated. Two other ballots were necessary, but on the final vote the name 'Golden Eagle' was adopted by a count of 139 for and 18 against it.

The vote left no doubt as to the choice of the majority of the members present, and those opposing the selection are now fully supporting the choice of the majority. The name should give future teams something to aspire to, and an inspiration to greater accomplishments in the athletic world.

In Austin Wheeler Smith's "The Story of Tennessee Tech," the author elaborated: "Four beautiful eagles played in the sky over Cookeville on pretty days, usually about midafternoon for a number of years. It was an inspiring sight to see those four sky patrols frolicking in the blue far beyond the reach of the hunter's gun. From some cranny in the cliffs of the Cumberlands they sallied forth each day to gather food and flaunt defiance at the wiles of man in the azure above his busy streets. This incident alone would have been sufficient to inspire the title 'Golden Eagles,' especially since Tech's colors were purple and gold. Some may think that one of those very birds ventured close enough to be captivated by the charm of the new library and its beautiful tower and chose its loft height for a final perch. Whether or not that bird is one of the four is subject to serious doubt but not the fact that it is a Cumberland Mountain Eagle from the very summit of the range."

At the start of the program, Tech's football team went through a revolving door of coaches, starting with C. Donald Russell in 1916 at the program's infancy. He left following the 1916-17 academic year to devote his time to other duties. R.V. Kerr, a Tennessee graduate, taught science and coached in 1917-18's academic session. He resigned in April 1918 to enter military service.

W. Ellis Simmons was brought on between 1918-19 to teach agriculture and coach. He originally spent one year on the gridiron and returned briefly in an emergency basis, then continued to coach basketball and baseball until 1921.

John "Red" Floyd had a short tenure – from September 22 to October 3, 1919, before returning to Vanderbilt. V.T. Ring came in to finish the fall quarter. Joe E. Conry, the head of the agriculture department, coached in 1920-21, then John C. Clardy, an agriculture instructor, coached in 1921-22 and resigned at the end of the season.

Loyall Duyck, a product out of Carson-Newman, came to Tech to teach science and physical education and was tabbed to coach the Tech football team in 1922. This is widely considered to be the first season of varsity football at Tech as the enrollment started to grow enough that the roster could be comprised of college-aged student-athletes rather than pulling from the high school-aged enrollment.

Duyck had an impressive resume before coming to Cookeville as he did graduate work at Illinois, Penn State, Florida and Notre Dame – the latter under the tutelage of Knute Rockne.

That first season, and the only for Duyck, was a solid effort at Tech went 2-1-4 in the campaign. Tech fought Cumberland and Bryson College to a 6-6 and a 7-7 tie respectively, then dropped its only loss of the season to Western Kentucky in a 42-0 defeat.

Tech beat Bethel 25-13 for its first varsity win, tied Milligan in a scoreless contest and Bethel 6-6 before wrapping up the seven-game season with a 26-0 victory over Ogden College.

After leaving Tech, Duyck became the head coach at Alabama's Decatur High School in 1923, then the athletic director and coach at Rollins College in Florida, then coached Plant City (Fla.) Senior High from 1930 to 1933. He left coaching and became the owner of Duyck Oil Company before retiring in 1972. He passed away in 1980.

In his place, P.V. "Putty" Overall took over. With 26 years at the helm of the Tennessee Tech football program, Overall stands as the longest-tenured coach in the team's history. He oversaw the Golden Eagles from 1923 to 1946, then returned to the post for two seasons following the departure of Star Wood in 1951.

Overall finished his tenure with the Tech football team with a 97-95-18 record. The field at Tucker Stadium was dedicated to him in 1965. In 1966, Overall was one of the inaugural inductees to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, then into the Tech Sports Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 1975. The Ohio Valley Conference inducted him into their hall in 1981.

In his tenure, the Golden Eagles had two undefeated seasons in 1928 and 1932 as well as OVC championships in 1952 and 1953.

A Middle Tennessee graduate, Overall claimed his greatest coaching thrill came in the 1924 campaign against his alma mater. Smith cited Overall: "The game was tied at 0 to 0 with just three minutes to go but with Tech in possession of the ball. He sent in a man who called for formation Y 57 – a fake punt – which netted a touchdown and won the game for Tech."

Overall's first season went 2-3-1 as Tech bookended the season with a 24-0 victory over Livingston Academy and a 14-0 win over the Sewanee Reserves. The squad fell to King College, Bryson College and Bethel in succession, before a scoreless draw with Ogden College.

Things fared better in the following season as Overall led Tech to a 5-3-1 record, but back-to-back losing seasons in 1926 and 1927 blemished his early run. Overall and the Golden Eagles soared in 1928 though, pulling together a 6-0-1 season. Following a season-opening scoreless tie against Hiwassee College, Tech scorched the competition, beating Kentucky private school Sue Bennett College 68-0, Cumberland 24-7, Alabama Normal (later the University of West Alabama) 77-0, Bethel 25-7, Middle Tennessee 25-12 and Tennessee Junior College (later UT Martin) 14-13.

Tech closed out the Roaring '20s with a 3-3-1 mark, falling to Sewanee 46-0 in the opener, before winning three straight against Hiwassee (20-0), Cumberland (26-6) and Sue Bennett (66-0). Milligan and Bethel gave Tech a pair of 13-0 losses, then the Golden Eagles ended up square against rival Middle Tennessee, 13-all.

As the 1920s drew to a close, pieces were falling in place for Tech football in establishing its identity. In the years still to come, the Golden Eagles would soon become a part of a larger football landscape.

Next: Tech enters the 30s and expands into conference competition.

Sources:

Smith, A.M. (1957). The Story of Tennessee Tech. Nashville: McQuiddy Printing Company

Neufeldt, H.G. and Dickinson, W.C. (1991). The Search for Identity: A History of Tennessee Technological University 1915-1985. Memphis: Memphis State University Press

Johnson, Mancil and Dickinson, W.C. (2002). The College History Series: Tennessee Technological University. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing

Bell, R.R.; Dickinson, W.C.; Elkins, S.A. and Clemons, L. E. (2009). Practical Work: 100 Years of Dixie College and Tennessee Tech University