Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee. The university’s athletic identity centers on the Golden Eagles nickname, adopted in 1925, and the school colors of purple and gold. The current athletic logo system dates to August 31, 2006, when the athletic department unveiled an all-new set of logos for the Golden Eagles.[1]
Design and History
The Golden Eagles name was chosen in 1925 at a meeting of the Athletic Association. After three rounds of voting among options including Tech Warriors, Mountaineers, Mountain Eagles and Lions, Golden Eagles won by a vote of 139 to 18. The name was suggested because four eagles were said to have soared over campus on clear afternoons for many years.[2]
The university’s purple and gold colors are a nod to the prevalence of goldenrod and ironweed plants that grow in the area.[3]
Tennessee Tech’s athletic department unveiled a new brand on August 31, 2006, with an all-new set of logos for the Golden Eagles. The brand was new, but the tradition remained: the name Golden Eagles.[1]
In 2016, Tennessee Tech revealed a new university logo, the first such change in about 15 years. The design features a purple, stand-alone T and an eagle in flight. The Golden Eagles’ athletic marks continued to be used for sports teams and programs.[4]
The university’s Office of Communications and Marketing maintains a logo system that includes three official marks: the word mark, the T-eagle icon and the seal. The eagle icon and word mark are reserved for athletics use only.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The university seal features a golden eagle with wings outstretched, which depicts the pride, honor, strength and spirit of the university’s students, faculty and staff. The seal also includes a bold pillar of gold representing the pillar of knowledge, intellect and experience.[6]
The mascot Awesome Eagle has been part of Tennessee Tech’s identity since 1984, when it was designed by student Olan Kemp, a chemistry major who entered a contest hosted by the Associated Student Body. The modern version of Awesome Eagle was unveiled in fall 1990.[2]
Typography and Design
The 2016 university logo features a word mark in serif typography. It presents TECH in all caps and intentionally drops the word “university.” The logo was developed by Cookeville’s WDStone & Associates in conjunction with the university’s Office of Communications and Marketing, after research conducted with the university’s iCube. The entire process, including creative development, research and execution, took two years.[4]
In 2025, the university’s “100 Years of Golden Eagles” logo set, illustrated by Carson Smith, a graphic designer in Tech’s Office of Communications and Marketing, won a gold award in the logo/graphic identity category at the Tennessee College Public Relations Association conference. The logos depicted various iterations of Tech’s mascot over the decades.[7]
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