Cookeville Wins Bid For Football Championships

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Cookeville's Football Bid is Christmas in June

 

Christmas has arrived six months early for Cookeville, Tennessee Tech and all of Putnam County.

 

And Cookeville's best gift in decades - presented earlier today at the TSSAA Board of Control meeting - is the right to host the TSSAA D-I and D-II football championships, December 3-5 at Tech's Tucker Field.

 

???Having the state football championships (2009 and 2010) at Tennessee Tech is huge for our entire region, not just Cookeville,'' said Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce president/CEO George Halford, who anticipates a one million dollar economic impact from the three-day, BlueCross eight football game extravaganza. ???We are humbled, thrilled, very appreciative and somewhat shocked to have won the bid.''

 

This Upper Cumberland Plateau city has hosted two other state football title games ??????" the 1973 AA game (won by Kingston) and the 1974 AAA contest (won by Father Ryan) - but never eight games in a three-day period.

 

???We knew we had little room for error in our 30 minute presentation as we were up against the big boys in folks from Murfreesboro and Chattanooga,'' Halford said.

 

Cookeville wrestled arguably the most prestigious high school state championship event away from Murfreesboro, which had hosted the gridiron title games at MTSU for the past nine years; 2000-2008.

 

???Before the three groups made presentations, I would have been shocked if someone told me Cookeville would win the bid,'' said Greater Chattanooga Sports and Events Committee president Scott Smith. ???But after the presentations, I thought they had a real chance of winning the bid.''

 

Viewed as an upset win by many, the Cookeville committee members laid out a well-orchestrated, positive plan for the next two years to the board of control members.

 

Cookeville announced plans for an immediate renovation of the Tenn. Tech president's sky boxes at Tucker Field, a team host for each school in the finals, innovative uses for athletic facilities, a ticket sales marketing strategy and a combined public and private sector effort, including the chamber of commerce, convention and visitor's bureau, the high school coaches association and Tennessee Tech staff from the director of athletics to the university president.

 

???With the brass ring, we (Cookeville) are now a player on the big stage as far as hosting state championship events,'' Halford stated.

 

The Cookeville entourage saved the best for last as Tennessee Tech football coach and Cookeville native Watson Brown had a captivating story to close the sale.

 

Brown told of the biggest game for Cookeville High in the past half century.

 

???In 1967, we hosted and won what we considered to be the state football championship (no playoff), with a 26-7 triumph against Clarksville in the Civitan Bowl,'' said Brown, who was a member of the 10-0 Cavaliers.

 

???Now four decades later I am back in town as Tech's coach and have the great privilege to be part of the steering committee to host quite possibly the greatest sporting event in the town's history.''

 

The committee has little time to celebrate its victory, as the TSSAA's 40th anniversary football championships are 206 days away and counting.

 

"I see this as Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July all in one,'' stated Halford. ???We have received our greatest athletic gift and now it's time to make that gift work for our entire community.''

 

 

 

 

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net

 

also posted at chattanoogan.com

[tstewart14]

rutherford county schools don't mind driving a couple of hours to get our trophy.

[muffin]

Congrats to Cookeville.

[volfan5]

Sweet Cookeville is only 1 hr and a half from Alcoa.

[possum]

Cannot wait to go visit Cookeville, it has been almost 20 years since I was on campus, I am sure alot has changed.

[volfan5]

possom, you won't recognize the place. Cookeville has grown a lot the last 10 to 12 years. Will bring back old memories if Alcoa can make it back. That's kind of weird though. We use to say were going to the burro. What would you say if your going to Cookeville?