Don Wade, a former Tennessee Tech football coach and Director of Athletics, passed away in Clemson, South Carolina on Wednesday night. He was 79.
Wade, a native of Tyronza, Arkansas, began his playing career at Lenoir City High School in Lenoir City, Tennessee, where he played football and basketball. He went on to play with the Clemson University Tigers, while earning a bachelor's in education there. He graduated in 1952. While at Clemson, he played in the 1950 Orange Bowl, and in the 1951 Gator Bowl. Out of college, he began his coaching career at a high school in Georgia. In 1953, he began an assistant coaching spot at Clemson which lasted up to 1967. He helped coach the Tigers to bowl games three times.
In 1968, he left Clemson to take the head coaching job at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tennessee. This was a job he held until 1983. He was one of Tech's most successful football coaches. Under him, TTU won the Ohio Valley Conference title in 1972 and '75. He had 81 career wins for a .509 winning percentage, both second-place showings for Golden Eagle football coaches. Wade became Tech's Director of Athletics in 1974, a position he held until 1980.
His memory will certainly live on at Tennessee Tech, and at all the places where he left his mark through his exciting life. God rest his soul, and bless his family and friends through this hard time for them. He will be missed!
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