Full circle: Jennifer Winningham discusses returning home to lead sports medicine at Tennessee Tech, new scholarship honoring family legacy
Jennifer Winningham’s return to Tennessee Tech University in the summer of 2025 felt less like a career move and more like a homecoming decades in the making.
A 2003 Tech graduate and Upper Cumberland native, Winningham is now serving her alma mater as director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer, overseeing the health and wellness of more than 400 Golden Eagle student-athletes.
Her arrival coincides with one of the most successful and transformative periods in Tech Athletics history — and with a deeply personal commitment to service that extends far beyond the ball field.
“It was almost a little surreal that it had come full circle,” Winningham said of her return to Tech on a recent episode of the university’s College Town Talk podcast. “God’s timing is always on time, and I truly believe this was the right time for me to come back to Cookeville, come back to Tennessee Tech and make a difference.”
Winningham previously worked at Tech from 2005 to 2009 as an assistant athletic trainer before expanding her career at universities in Louisiana and North Carolina. When the opportunity arose to return this year, it represented the culmination of years of experience — and patience.
The path back to Cookeville, however, included an extraordinary detour. After accepting the position, Winningham postponed her start date so she could undergo surgery to donate a kidney to a close friend and former colleague.
“When he started getting sick, and it looked like he was going to need a transplant, I told him I would go through the process,” she said. “It’s not just, ‘Hey, I want to give my friend my kidney.’ There’s a lot that goes into it.”
After months of testing, Winningham learned around Christmas 2024 that she was a match.
“I got to call him and tell him,” she said. “We both shed tears.”
The surgery took place in May, followed quickly by recovery, a move to Cookeville and her start at Tech in June.
“It was a true whirlwind,” Winningham recalled. “But my friend is doing fantastic.”
That spirit of selflessness reflects a legacy instilled by her late father, Les Winningham, a Tech alumnus, longtime educator and former state representative who served the Upper Cumberland for 26 years. Known for his advocacy for rural students, he earned the nickname “Mr. Public Education.”
“He was a servant to the state of Tennessee for a long time and to education,” Winningham said. “He really put that on us — being willing to do anything to help others.”
Earlier this year, Winningham and her family endowed the Winningham Family Scholarship at Tech in her parents’ memory. The need-based scholarship supports students from the counties that made up his legislative district, as well as Clinton County, Ky., Winningham’s mother’s hometown.
“Education was very important to both of our parents,” she said. “We wanted to give people the opportunity to go to college who maybe wouldn’t have that chance otherwise.”
Now back on campus, Winningham is contributing to a historic year for Tech Athletics. Since her return, Golden Eagle teams have claimed multiple Ohio Valley Conference championships, including football’s back-to-back titles, women’s soccer’s fourth OVC championship and women’s cross country’s first conference title in program history.
The university has also announced its move to the Southern Conference in 2026, along with the expected completion of its new football stadium.
“This has been a really fun season. I mean, winning is fun. Anybody will tell you that,” said Winningham. “It’s been great to be back and see the success our teams are having and I’m really looking forward to the big things on the horizon with moving into the Southern Conference … It’s an exciting time to be part of Tech Athletics for sure.”
Reflecting on her journey, Winningham said Tech played a pivotal role in preparing her for life and leadership.
“Tennessee Tech has given me a lot of confidence in life and in my career,” Winningham concluded. “When I left Tennessee Tech, I was prepared to enter the workforce. I was prepared to do what I'm doing now … It really gave me the confidence and prepared me to achieve the goals that I've been able to achieve.”
Listen to Winningham’s full College Town Talk interview on Spotify, Apple, Pandora, Amazon and at www.tntech.edu/collegetowntalk.