TN TECH – When Tennessee Tech University’s Golden Eagle football team takes to the turf this fall, its student-athletes will be sporting a special tribute to an out-of-this-world alumnus.

The team’s helmets now feature a 4”x4” decal honoring recently retired NASA astronaut and two-time Tech graduate Barry “Butch” Wilmore. He joined the team as a walk-on in 1982 and remained on the roster through 1985 – honing the teamwork, discipline and problem-solving skills he would rely on decades later when a planned eight-day space mission unexpectedly stretched into more than nine months.

Head Football Coach Bobby Wilder said the idea for the tribute dates back to late 2023, when Wilmore was among the first to reach out with congratulations and encouragement upon Wilder’s hire.

“He’s been very supportive, right from the start that I’ve been here,” said Wilder. “We’ve traded phone calls and text messages. He was especially proud of the team last year for tying for a conference championship.”

Wilder even recalled a call from Wilmore last year when the astronaut was on his prolonged mission at the International Space Station – something he describes as “one of the most incredible phone calls in my life.”

“It was a Saturday morning, a couple of weeks after the season had ended, and I get a call from outer space,” added Wilder. “It’s Butch calling to personally congratulate us, which was an incredible experience for me personally. All he wanted to talk about was the team, the games and how proud he was to be a Tech football alum. It was incredible.”

When Wilmore safely returned to Earth from the mission that made him a household name, Wilder and his staff, led by Athletics Equipment Coordinator Alex Lockemyer, kicked their plans into high gear.

“Alex was really the one to work with athletics leadership and university leadership on what would be appropriate that we could do,” explained Wilder. “We all wanted to do that as a team – to have something that showed our respect to him, to the NASA program, and to remind people in our own way how proud we are that he is a Golden Eagle football alum.”

Wilder says today’s Tech students – both on and off the football team – can draw inspiration from Wilmore’s storied career and high character.

“I describe him to our players as one of many Tech football alums who are high achievers in life,” said Wilder. “He’s not only using his Tech degrees, but also his football experience to show grace in adversity and to show mental toughness when times are difficult – which are all things you experience in football – and Butch attributes a lot of his success in life to lessons he learned at Tech, including on this team.”

Danny Birdwell, graphic designer in Tech’s Office of Communications & Marketing, created the decal that now adorns each helmet on the team’s 118 student-athlete-strong roster.

His design features an artistic rendering of planet Earth, as viewed from space, shrouded in Tech’s signature purple with the words “Astronaut Barry Wilmore” surrounded by eight stars – an homage to Wilmore’s jersey number.

“When they showed me the final product, I just thought ‘that’s perfect,’” said Wilder.

The small but meaningful uniform enhancement comes as Tech’s athletics program is experiencing a renaissance – marked by the team’s historic move to the Southern Conference effective July 2026, construction on an all-new football stadium set to open the same year and the recent hire of new Athletic Director Casey Fox, among other big moves for the university’s NCAA Division I program.

Tech’s football team tied last season for a share of the OVC-Big South conference title and is ranked first in the combined conferences’ preseason poll, as well as being ranked in the top 25 in multiple preseason polls for the entire Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Wilder says the team is leaning into the high expectations and ready to give Golden Eagle fans a season to remember.

“There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of momentum around the program,” concluded Wilder. “And having something like this to honor Butch – it just adds to the level of energy.”

Wilmore was inducted into the TTU Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He received the Order of the Eagle, the university’s highest honor, earlier this year.

The Golden Eagles’ football season kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 30 with a home game against Cumberland University. Season tickets are still available for purchase. Learn more at www.ttusports.com.