FCS

Carlisle wins Robert Hill Johnson Award as Tech football hands out yearly honors

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – In the history of the Robert Hill Johnson Award, Tennessee Tech football’s highest honor, only a third have been defensive players. Fourteen of those have been linebackers – which isn’t a surprise considering the Golden Eagles have had some great ones over the years.

From John Tanner in 1970 to Jim Youngblood in the historic 1972 campaign, Dana Winningham in 1973, Mark Shrum in 1977, Jeff Daughtry in 1984 and future astronaut and NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award winner Barry Wilmore the next year, Mike Thornton in 1988, Fred Edgington in 1989, Marrio Thomas and Maurice Draine in 1992 and 1993, Sammy Sanders in 1997, Chad Evitts in 2000, Daniel Wentzel in 2002 and Tommy Harrison in 2004, there have been incredible ones to win the award. Among these players are Tech Sports Hall of Famers, Golden Eagles who have shaped the program over the years and setting the stage for the team now.