Much of Tennessee Tech’s athletic success today can be attributed to P.V. “Putty” Overall. He came to Tech in 1923 at a time when its athletic facilities and manpower were almost nonexistent. Overall coached football, basketball, and baseball until 1941, turning Tech into a competitive, well-respected, Ohio Valley Conference school. In the early years, Tech played some true powerhouses, and his 1939 team shocked Vanderbilt by tying Ray Morrison’s Commodores 13-13 in the season opener. And, according to Overall, “That wasn’t [even] my best team.” He had undefeated seasons in both 1928 and 1932. Overall came back from retirement in 1952 to lead the Golden Eagle football teams to two consecutive OVC titles. His 1952 team posted a 9-1 record and played in the Tangerine Bowl at Orlando. That modern era mark has been surpassed only once at Tennessee Tech, when the 1972 Golden Eagles finished 10-1. During his respected career at Tech, Overall was chairman of the Department of Health and Physical Education, faculty chairman of athletics, and president of several state and national health and physical education organizations. Honored in 1961 by Middle Tennessee State University as a “Distinguished Alumnus,” Overall is a member of the OVC and Tennessee Tech halls of fame. “Putty” Overall passed away in 1974, leaving behind a legacy of athletic program excellence in Tennessee.
