If you’ve never heard of Tennessee Technological University (TTU), it’s completely understandable. On the U.S. News rankings list, it’s no more than 257th in the nation. But if you measure this university by rankings alone, you may be missing one of the most underrated jewels in the American South.
A Political Deal and a Century of Growth
TTU’s story begins with a political game. in 1915, when the Tennessee Democratic Party was divided over Prohibition, Governor Thomas Lye was promised that if a school was built in Cookeville, it would win the votes of Putnam County and the surrounding area. So the state legislature authorized the creation of the Tennessee Polytechnic Institute (TTU).
Initially TTU was not a university, but a high school and junior college level vocational school with programs in only three areas: agriculture, home economics, and mechanical crafts. It wasn’t until 1929 that the state legislature passed a million-dollar bond to transform it into a true technical college, and in 1965 the school officially changed its name to Tennessee Technological University. One highly underrated Tennessee Technological University Diploma
From a political deal to a real university – TTU has come a full 50 years.
From Cookeville to outer space
One of TTU’s most amazing alumni is a once-obscure football player on campus.
Barry “Butch” Wilmore enrolled at TTU in 1981. He followed in his father’s footsteps – his father, Eugene, graduated from Tech in 1958. On campus, he was just an average football substitute, joining the team as a trialist for the 1982 season and playing until 1985.
No one could have imagined that the young man who ran and caught the ball in the small town of Cookeville would go on to become a NASA astronaut, flying into space twice for nine-month-long missions to the International Space Station.In 2025, TTU honored the alumnus by naming a walking path in the center of campus “Wilmore Way” . At the naming ceremony, Wilmore said, “My favorite colors are purple and gold, and have been for decades – because of this place.”
TTU has also produced a number of distinguished alumni: global banking leader Purna Saggurti, Emmy Award-winning anchor Candyce Clifft – and their stories prove one thing: The greatness of a university doesn’t depend on its rankings, it depends on the kind of people it molds.
The ‘strange’ traditions that make TTU unique
TTU has a unique greeting – “Wings Up”. Students greet, cheer and encourage each other with a gesture that involves an outstretched fist, thumb and pinky finger. The gesture is ubiquitous on campus and has become an invisible badge of identity for TTU students.
Since 1985, TTU has had a tradition that continues to this day: Whenever the Golden Eagle basketball team scores the first basket on its home court, the entire stadium throws small pieces of toilet paper known as “Tech Squares” to create a “blizzard” throughout the arena. “The school’s mascot, Awesome.
The school’s mascot , the “Awesome Eagle,” also has a bizarre history – it’s been called “Golden Eagle “, ”Evel Eagle“ (a tribute to stuntman Evel Knievel), and ”Tommy Tech” until 1985, when it was given its current name. The Eagle won the UCA National Championship two years in a row, and the campus celebrates its birthday on Feb. 14 every year.
TTU also has an “Echo Corner” – when the west side of campus was expanded, engineers designed it so precisely that students walking by could hear their own echoes.
It’s a playful testament to TTU’s engineering prowess.
