Harvey: 
The Symbol of a Rivalry

The rivalry between Middle Tennessee and Tennessee Tech reportedly began in 1909 when the state legislature chose Murfreesboro rather than Cookeville as the home of one of the three state normal schools, which would later become MTSU.

This political loss resulted in an athletic rivalry that lasted over eight decades. Middle Tennessee defeated Tennessee Polytechnic Institute (Tech) 26-0 in their first game in 1917. Johnny "Red" Floyd played in that game. Middle Tennessee won again in 1935, 1936, and 1937 when Charles Murphy starred for MTSU. Our lead slipped while Murphy was away, but when he returned as a coach we took the lead again.

In 1960, Fred Harvey, owner of Harvey's department store, donated an Alaskan totem pole to become the victory symbol. "Harvey," pictured above in 1964, would remain at home when Middle Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech. When Tennessee Tech won, he would temporarily live in Cookeville and be known as "Shinny-Ninny."

Harvey was kidnapped, ransomed, rescued, fought over, and prized. But, his travels ended in 1998 when Middle Tennessee moved to Division I-A and left Tennessee Tech behind.

Click on the links, below, to learn more about Harvey and the rivalry between MTSU and Tennessee Tech. Note: some of the articles below were scanned at high resolution to ensure that they would be legible. These large files may load slowly.

Who Helped Tech? (article: Sidelines November 22, 1961)
Harvey's Diploma (image: 1966)
Harvey Wants His Master's (image: Sidelines November 22, 1966)
Wreck Tech (article: 1980 Midlander)
Let's Wreck Tech (article: 1982 Midlander)
Harvey, Come Home! (article: 1986 Midlander)
Traditional Rivals Face Off for Totem (article: 1994 Record)