Tucker Stadium

Tucker Stadium, the home venue for the Tennessee Tech football program since the Golden Eagles moved into the facility in 1966, underwent an extensive surface renovation in 2007. The facility upgrades included the installation of 24/7 turf by The Motz Group, as well as renovations and a new surface to the nine-lane track. In 2008, new lights were installed at the stadium, and in 2009 the working press box received a major overhaul and technological upgrades.

In 2007, attendance at Tech football games nearly doubled over the previous year’s, season ticket sales set records, topping the 2,000 mark, and the Golden Eagles had the largest opening game crowd in school history.

The venue  is named in tribute to former Golden Eagle coach Wilburn Tucker.

The center stage of the stadium is Overall Field, named to recognize longtime Tech coach and administrator Putty Overall.

The stadium features a two-level press box on each side, with the West Box hosting the working press and the East Box hosting the president and his guests.

With the addition of the 24/7 turf, the latest in technology, material and equipment was used to ensure that Tucker Stadium is one of the finest facilities in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Tucker Stadium opened for grid action for the 1966 season with seating for 12,500. In the first game in the facility, UT- Chattanooga came to town and handed coach Don Wade's Golden Eagles a 17-7 loss. Two weeks later, Tech posted its first victory in the stadium, topping East Tennessee State, 14-3.

The facility was expanded to its present capacity of 16,500 prior to the 1971 season. In 39 college football seasons, it has hosted 1,532,281 fans at 221 games. Tech has hosted 21 crowds of better than 12,000 fans and owns a 12-8-1 record in those contests, including a record 12,831 for the game against Cumberland in the 2007 opener. The largest attendance came against Morehead State in 1971, when 16,521 folks crowded into the newly enlarged facility.

The 2009 Golden Eagles were unbeaten at home, posting a 5-0 record. Golden Eagle teams have had three other unbeaten home seasons, going 11-0 over two consecutive seasons, with a 5-0 mark in 1971 and 6-0 in 1972. Tech was also 5-0 in 2001.

The facility was officially dedicated as Tucker Stadium at Homecoming ceremonies  on Oct. 18, 1980, in honor of former coach Wilburn Tucker, who served on the Golden Eagle staff for 21 years. The playing field itself retained its designation as Overall Field, named for coach P.V. Overall, who was head coach at Tech for 26 years. Both men are in the Tech Sports Hall of Fame and the OVC Hall of Fame.

When the stadium was built in 1966, it featured a press box on the West side for the working press. The second box -- for use by TTU's president and guests -- plus 4,000 additional seats, were added to the East side of the stadium in 1971.

The first synthetic turf was laid in 1970 and was replaced in 1980. That turf lasted 13 years until Stadia Turf was installed in 1994, the surface that was replaced in 2007.