Wilburn Tucker
Wilburn Tucker (August 10, 1920 – October 6, 1980) was an American football and baseball player and coach. He was the head football coach at Tennessee Tech from 1954 to 1967, leading the team to five Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) championships. He was later inducted into both the Tennessee Tech and OVC Halls of Fame.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 10, 1920 Rutherford County, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | October 6, 1980 (aged 60) Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1940–1942 | Tennessee Tech |
| Baseball | |
| c. 1940 | Tennessee Tech |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1946–1951 | Tennessee Tech (freshmen) |
| 1952–1953 | Tennessee Tech (backfield) |
| 1954–1967 | Tennessee Tech |
| Baseball | |
| 1948–1954 | Tennessee Tech |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 70–66–5 (football) 70–39 (baseball) |
| Bowls | 0–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 5 OVC (1955, 1958–1961) | |
| Awards | |
| Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame (1987) | |
Early years
Tucker attended Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, now known as Tennessee Technological University, in the early 1940s. He played both baseball and football before graduating in 1943.[1] He then served in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, Tucker received a master's degree from the University of Tennessee.[1]
Coaching career
Tucker returned to Tennessee Polytechnic as the freshman football coach, holding that position from 1946 to 1951. He next served as Tennessee Tech's backfield coach and scout during the 1952 and 1953 seasons.[1] He also served as the school's baseball coach from 1948 to 1954.[2] He compiled a 70–39 record as the school's baseball coach.[3]
In January 1954, Tucker was promoted to head football coach at Tennessee Polytechnic.[1] He held that position from 1954 to 1967, compiling a record of 70–66–5 as head coach and led the team to five Ohio Valley Conference championships: 1955, 1957, 1959, 1960, and 1961.[2] In December 1967, he was fired after his 1967 team posted a 3–7 record.[4]
Later years and honors
After his coaching career, Tucker operated a sporting goods store in Cookeville, Tennessee.[5]
Tucker was inducted into the Tennessee Tech Hall of Fame in 1977.[6] He died in October 1980 at age 59 at Cookeville General Hospital.[7]
Tucker was posthumously inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 1987.[8] Tucker Stadium at Tennessee Tech is named after him.[9]
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (Ohio Valley Conference) (1954–1967) | |||||||||
| 1954 | Tennessee Tech | 4–4–2 | 1–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1955 | Tennessee Tech | 7–3 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1956 | Tennessee Tech | 5–4–1 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1957 | Tennessee Tech | 6–4 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1958 | Tennessee Tech | 7–3 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1959 | Tennessee Tech | 6–2–2 | 5–0–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1960 | Tennessee Tech | 8–3 | 6–0 | 1st | L Tangerine | ||||
| 1961 | Tennessee Tech | 7–3 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1962 | Tennessee Tech | 2–8 | 1–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1963 | Tennessee Tech | 6–4 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1964 | Tennessee Tech | 1–9 | 1–6 | 8th | |||||
| 1965 | Tennessee Tech | 3–7 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1966 | Tennessee Tech | 5–5 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1967 | Tennessee Tech | 3–7 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| Tennessee Tech: | 70–66–5 | 49–34–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 70–66–5 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- Mary Barbour (January 2, 1954). "Wilburn Tucker Succeeds Overall As Eagles' Coach". The Nashville Banner. p. 11.
- "Wilburn Tucker". Tennessee Tech. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- "untitled". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. October 14, 1980. p. Sports 1.
- "Tucker Is Fired by Tennessee Tech". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. December 7, 1967. p. 46 – via Newspapers.com.
- Mike Morrow (March 27, 1980). "Friends Salute Tucker In Cookeville Saturday". The Tennessean. p. 58 – via Newspapers.com.
- "TTU Inducts 5 Into 'Hall'". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 22, 1977. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Services For Tucker Scheduled Tomorrow". The Tennessean. October 8, 1980. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Wilburn Tucker". Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- Avery Nettles (September 8, 2021). "The History of Tucker Stadium". Tennessee Tech Oracle.