Tennessee Tech will stamp its entrance into the Southern Conference Wednesday with a special ceremony.
Athletic Director Casey Fox said the event will celebrate a reconnection with the school’s southern roots after 75 years in the Ohio Valley Conference. Fox said the shift places Tennessee Tech among like-minded institutions in the region.
“From a geographic standpoint, it ties us back into some regional rivalries with Chattanooga and ETSU,” Fox said. “Obviously, you know, with Samford, a former OVC member as well, but going into the Southern Conference, the history of it, the background and just really getting back to kind of the Southern being part of Tennessee and part of the South is exciting for us.”
Fox said the majority of the schools in the new conference are located within a four-hour bus ride of the university. Fox said the department is committing resources to football and basketball programs to compete for conference championships immediately. The university has already sold out all of the new premium suites in the upgraded Tucker Stadium in anticipation of the fall football season.
“Our goal is to go and compete for conference championships,” Fox said. “We’re working towards those goals, working with our administration. We need our fans to get involved. But we know we need to put a product out there that’s worth their time and effort to come and support.”
Fox said the football program enters the Southern Conference with high expectations following two consecutive conference championships in the OVC. Fox said the men’s basketball program is also entering a new era under the leadership of Coach Tobin Anderson. Beyond the biggest two sports, Fox said every program is going to be tested against new opponents.
“We have some programs like soccer that had won four straight OVC conference championships, that it’s gonna be a challenge,” Fox said. “The Southern Conference from women’s soccer is a bigger challenge than OVC in terms of a conference rating. Women’s cross country won the conference last year and we’re gonna have to go in and go head-to-head with some historic programs like Furman, and go in there with our expectations and our eyes wide open that it’s not gonna be easy.”
Fox said the transition will require coaches and players to adjust to new venues and travel routines that differ from their long-standing OVC schedule. Fox said the university hopes the proximity of road games at Chattanooga, ETSU and Western Carolina will encourage fans to travel with the teams.
“It is different because it’s all new,” Fox said. “When we’re on the road, it’s all new venues for us. So we have to, to kind of learn that and new teams coming in. I think it’s exciting as well, but you know, when you’re in a conference for a while, you get into a routine. From a football standpoint, what hotels to stay in and how travel goes and it’s all a new experience for our team, for our coaches, our players.”
Fox said the conference move coincides with significant stadium upgrades and a new West Side renovation at the university. Fox said the department is also planning for the future construction of a football operations building.
“We’re building something and we’re asking people, you know, to come be part of it,” Fox said. “Give us a shot, be part of it, and hopefully you won’t be disappointed.”
The Golden Eagles kick off in their season opener against Monmouth University on Saturday, Aug. 29.
