The Beginning: Tech Eagle (1926-1973)

Tennessee Tech's mascot has an upcoming 100-year history, during which time it evolved with the times to become the school's mascot and its branding in 2024.

Early sports mascots were not the costumed mascots seen at many sporting events today. They were live animals or people, often children, who were considered mascots based on a team's perception of their ability to bring good luck. "Mascot" is derived from the French word "mascotte," which means a person, animal, or object that brings luck. The word gradually made its way into the American English vocabulary in the late 19th Century.

Tennessee Tech had numerous un-costumed "mascots' throughout the early 20th Century; many were declared by the student body based on the perception or role of giving the students good luck. The first mention of a mascot is in the 1926 yearbook. Freshman Joe Hudgens was called the mascot and described as making a good "flunky" and keeping up the "pep" and spirit of the team. 1925, the oracle listed Hubert Davis as an elected mascot for the Senior High. Animals were also incorporated into Tennessee Tech's mascots. East Hall had a cocker spaniel mascot named Prissie in the late 1940s, and the Army Air Force had two bird dog mascots in the 1940s. Dammit the dog was considered an "unofficial mascot" on Tech's campus, and this description still applies today. In 1964, there was even a proposal at the Student Government Association meeting to bring a live eagle mascot to Tennessee Tech. The Monteagle eagle on top of the campus's Derryberry Hall was sometimes called a mascot.

In the 1960s, live-costumed mascots appeared across the country in sports. Mascots, like the school or university they represent, often reflect the culture of the schools they represent. They also traditionally represent a team or regional and local idea, such as the Ohio State Buckeyes or the University of Oklahoma's Sooner.

Tennessee Tech's mascot is derived from the Golden Eagle, a Western bird that is not a native breeding bird to Tennessee. In the 1920s, the campus newspaper began a movement for assigning an official name for the teams. The name "Golden Eagles" was adopted in 1925 for Tennessee Tech's sports teams at a meeting of the Athletic Association, having won over the names "Mountaineers," "Mountain Eagles," and "Lions." It took three ballots for the final selection, at which "Golden Eagles" won with a vote of 139 to 18. It is suggested that the name was chosen based on the numerous golden eagles soaring in the forests and mountains.

Although it is reported that Tennessee Tech Teams were nicknamed the "Tech Warriors" before the Golden Eagles, the evidence does not suggest this. The name warrior was never capitalized in the newspaper. In the same decade, The Oracle applied the name "warrior" to other football teams without official names, including the YMCA and Wesleyan teams. Normal schools' players were often referred to as "teachers." It is likely the players themselves were being referred to as warriors and not the actual team. Most teams were known by affiliation, such as a town, college, or club. Tech football team is also mentioned in the Putnam County Herald many times in the same decade without the word warrior ever affiliated with the team.

Our first official costumed mascot is listed as Maxie (Maxwell) L. Alderson. His career as the Golden Eagle mascot lasted from 1961 to 1963, and later, he returned for one last appearance at the 2012 homecoming game. Shortly after this appearance, Max passed away on January 24, 2013. Later that year, he was featured in Tennessee Tech's Visions magazine in the 2013 Summer issue.

It turns out that Max was already creating a document for the Crawford Alumni Center that year before his appearance at the 2012 homecoming game. This original document has a more detailed account of the night the original Tennessee Tech mascot was created and was sent initially to Crawford Alumni Center and former Tennessee Tech mascot Drake Fenlon via email.

Drake met Max earlier that year after appearing as a character he created named Grandpappy Eagle, who was supposed to be a caricature of the first mascot. Drake met the first mascot by pretending to be him, and they became pen pals for a whole year up to Max's last appearance. You can hear that story through the audio below.