The Awesome Eagle Today (2012-2025)

Setting the standard for how Awesome Eagle is today, Drake Fenlon became the first Tech mascot to win the National Cheerleaders Association Mascot competition (NCA), not once, but twice. He is the mascot on the back of every Tennessee Tech shuttle; he helped come up with the idea of Grandpappy Eagle and make it stick; he was pen pals with the first-ever Tennessee Tech mascot (Max Alderson- see beginnings page for more details); and he was a part of the 50th anniversary of Awesome's first appearance. He worked with professional mascots and teams, including working with the Nashville Predators as Awesome Eagle, and later, having a successful career as a professional mascot. He's worked for Nashville’s Major League Soccer Team, the Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento, California’s Athletics baseball team.

Drake’s mascot story began when he was a kid, and he went to a Tennessee Tech game. He caught himself not watching the game but watching the mascot. Being the mascot became his childhood dream, and he made it come true. Below, there are excerpts from an interview with Drake sharing what Tennessee Tech was like when he was the mascot, how he prepared for the NCA competitions, and crazy stories such as becoming the first mascot to get a traffic ticket written out to Awesome Eagle for doing donuts on the lawn, and a story about getting kicked out of the Hoop by the Harlem Globetrotters.

Today, Awesome Eagle continues to be redefined and changed by the upcoming generation of mascots that will take the mantle. Since Drake Fenlon, Awesome Eagle won another NCA championship in 2018, along with other awards and accolades. Awesome Eagle is still being refined and will be entertaining for years to come.