(Aug. 26, 2024) - Sparta native Jerry Cantrell says his 1967 Tennessee Tech degree and 46-year career in the financial services industry are, in many ways, thanks to football. Now, he wants to give back to a program that prepared him for success through a generous gift to Tech’s football program.
“I could not – could not – have attended college without a scholarship,” Cantrell said. “Had it not been for Coach Wilburn Tucker, there’s no telling where I would be. I have a deep-seated respect for this university.”
Cantrell was a member of the White County High School football team who, by his senior year, had lost only one game in three years. After graduating from high school, Cantrell signed on with another university but quickly realized it wasn’t the right place for him.
“I was a very small duck in a very large pond,” he said.
When Cantrell decided to transfer to Tech, he knew he would need a scholarship to pay for college. He met with then-Head Football Coach Wilburn Tucker and explained his financial situation.
While scholarship money was tight, Tucker found a residence hall and book scholarship for Cantrell. In his sophomore year, Cantrell started as a linebacker and played for the Golden Eagles in `64, `65 and `66.
“Football is either a character builder or an imposter’s exposure,” Cantrell said. “There is no feeling that I’m aware of like winning a tight football game where you have left your heart out on the field. I played with some great guys: Tommy Cassell, Bryan Draper, Jim Woodall – the list goes on and on. Those friendships were like no other. You didn’t want to let your friend nor your team down.”
Throughout high school and college, Cantrell says his mom and girlfriend never missed a game.
“They would sit in the stands in the pouring rain – sometimes with not many other spectators – watching me play,” he said.
In November 1967, Cantrell married his childhood sweetheart Judy – the girlfriend who never missed a game – and they had two children. In 1970, Cantrell established Cantrell Financial Services and enjoyed a career in personal and professional financial planning for Upper Cumberland residents.
“The failure rate in the insurance world, back when I started in 1970, was 97 percent,” Cantrell said. “Out of every class of 100 potential representatives, 97 of them got out of the business within a year. That ‘never quit’ attitude is what I got out of football, and it was instilled in me by Wilburn Tucker and the other coaches.”
Head Football Coach Bobby Wilder says Cantrell’s fondness for Tucker and the football program are inspiring.
“The entire football program is grateful to Jerry Cantrell for his support of our program,” Wilder said. “As a former Tennessee Tech football player, Jerry understands the importance of commitment. His gift will go a long way towards helping us build a championship program in Cookeville.”
Cantrell says his gift to Tech Football gives back to a program that gave so much to him.
“Had it not been for football, I could not have afforded a college degree and I could not have become an entrepreneur,” Cantrell said. “Tech Football did a lot for me, and I’d like to think I have done a lot for Tech Football.”
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