“I am just a servant leader who likes to stay behind the scenes to support our student-athletes and help them achieve their goals and go further than they ever dreamed that they could academically, athletically, and as a person.”

Tennessee Tech Athletic Director Mark Wilson leads and serves without a need for recognition, accolades, or fanfare. 

From driving hundreds of miles through the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in search of stranded staff, to the quiet way he supports the athletes and coaches at TTU daily, his focus is on people and loving them well, even when no one is watching.

2024 is Mark’s 21st year leading Tech Athletics, but the road here was winding. With stops at the University of Maine, Northwestern, UMASS (here, he was in charge of the marketing department as a 24-year-old during legendary coach John Calipari’s tenure there), and Ohio University, varied experience informed his vision for the future of TTU athletics. While many of the early goals he set have come to pass, Mark is still hungry for the biggest possible outcomes at the university.

He stated, “​​We have quality men and women leading our programs, and they do an excellent job building relationships. They’re genuine teachers and coaches and I do believe our greatest days are in front of us. Dr Oldham (TTU President Phil Oldham) believes in athletics and what they can do for the university in a higher education environment, in terms of marketing the university, being positive for the university, and winning.” Mark continued, “In everything we do with university, we want to win. We want to win when we recruit students. We want students to win in the classroom. We want them to win when they’re going for their first job and getting a great job. So President Oldham understands that role of athletics, and we couldn’t be doing what we’re doing without that level of support and trust and kind of being an engine behind us. Our trajectory is really, really high, and I’m excited for those days.”

Part of the optimism and buzz around Tech Athletics stems from the massive changes taking place at Tucker Stadium, home of TTU Football. Mark sees these updates, along with the planned Football Operations Center, as potential catalysts for not only the program but the university as a whole. 

“The stadium project was part of a dream and made it in our first Facilities Master Plan in 2005. It takes time, it takes planning, and it takes funding. I’m excited about the stadium and I really think it’ll enhance the fan experience for games. People don’t go to a game anymore just to go to a game, they go for the total entertainment package. They don’t want to just go in and sit on bleacher seats now. They want to be able to have chair back seats, and some want the option to buy club seats or a suite and we’re going to have all those offerings now for the fans of Tennessee Tech. These changes will get us to a modern-day stadium and a modern-day football program.” Mark added, “And when we get the Football Operations Center fundraised and completed, that facility will really propel the football program because it will be their home 300 days a year. And I think that’s what will really push them forward just like the Hooper Eblen Center, which is by far the best Arena in the Ohio Valley Conference, has with our basketball programs. We’ve also made improvements with baseball and softball, with turf, padded walls, and LED lights. We keep chipping away at things. And my philosophy has always been that you can’t eat an elephant in one bite. You just got to take little bites at a time, and that’s what we’ve done over my 21 years at Tennessee.”

Being an Athletic Director is an often thankless, weary, overwhelming position for both the leader and those supporting them. Mark is quick to note that he couldn’t have traveled this difficult and rewarding road without his wife, daughters, and the broader community along for the ride.

“I’m proud to be in Cookeville. Melanie’s a Cookeville native. I’m really blessed with her love and support because this is a lifestyle. It’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle. You work all day, you have events at night, you have events on the weekends, and you constantly travel. She is so extremely supportive, as difficult as it is, and I couldn’t do it without her. She goes with me on trips, she’s my absolute rock, and I could not be successful if it wasn’t for her and her support and the support of our five daughters,” he said. “I love the people of Cookeville. When I interviewed here, I felt like Tennessee Tech and Cookeville were a family and a tight-knit community, and it was just someplace that I wanted to be and someplace I wanted to serve. And I’ve tried to continue to foster relationships in our department and relationships with the community  so people that come after me have that same feeling of connection that I had.”

Despite a deep passion for championships, awards, and university success, any conversation with Mark Wilson reveals his true love, the success of student athletes once they’re playing days are done at TTU. 

Beyond being a person of influence, Mark is a good friend, a good man, a good husband, a good father, and someone worth admiring. It was truly a joy to write about 2024 Influential Person, Mark Wilson. 

“My favorite thing is when I watch student-athletes walk across the stage at graduation. Because, first and foremost, I’m an educator. I’m a teacher. The young men and young women that play sports at Tennessee Tech, it’s highly unlikely they’re going to make their lifelong living playing sports. So their education from Tennessee Tech is so important and their graduation is my proudest moment.” He concluded, “Everybody thinks it would be when a team wins a championship, and yes, I’m proud when they win championships, and that’s what we strive for, for our young men and young women, but at the end of the day, I get emotional when I watch people graduate, especially when I know it’s someone that may have come in and struggled to improve as a student. Those moments truly make me emotional and deeply proud to lead athletics at Tennessee Tech University.” 

– written by Andrew Buckner, photos by Abby Weeden