Evel Eagle (1974-1982)

Sam Holt was the first ever Evel Eagle. He was the mascot from 1974- 1975. He served as the transition from the original mascot design. In his time, he was not initially called Evel Eagle; this moniker came later with Willis Ayres's famous homecoming jump. Despite this, Sam Holt still began the legacy of Evel by being the first person to don this new suit. He didn't particularly love the new suit and has some interesting things to say about this new period of the mascot, which you can read in the Oracle article listed below.

Willis Ayers was the person who stapled his name in Tech's history with the infamous Homecoming jump over mini school buses. This happened on the same day as Evel Knievel's classic jump, which made the nickname of "Evel Eagle" stick as well as it did. Despite his new menacing look, Evel was still loved by kids and fans and was mainly known for riding his iconic mini bike and striking leather winged suit.

Bob Bowling, the cheer captain in the early 1980s, allegedly went with the mascot to the local Suzuki dealer in Cookeville to successfully obtain a sponsorship. During Bob's time on the cheer team, Evel Eagle's tradition of motorcycles and stunts was still alive and well. Below is an interview with Bob Bowling and his account of the sponsorship.

The first two female mascots for Tennessee Tech, Elayne Hayes (1983) and Gina Grubb (1984), completed Evel Eagle's career. Gina Grubb served as the transitional mascot from Evel Eagle to the moniker Awesome Eagle we know today. By today's standards, the new suit looked much different and was intentionally made to be friendlier than the striking daredevil Evel Eagle. Below, Gina Grubb has an interesting interview in an Oracle article about the transition from Evel Eagle to Awesome Eagle.