Tennessee Tech brings back a lighthearted piece of campus lore with Oct. 28 ‘Watergate Roach Race’
Nearly four decades after Tennessee Tech University crowned its most unexpected national champion—a cockroach named Watergate—the university is once again preparing for a race that’s part history lesson, part campus comedy and all Tech tradition.
On Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. in Tucker Stadium, Tech will host the Watergate Roach Race, an event reviving a quirky chapter from the university’s past. The competition pays homage to “Watergate,” a cockroach who became an unlikely celebrity in 1986 after winning the Great American Bug Race at Palm Beach Atlantic College in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Amid a tough year for Tech’s athletics teams, student journalists from The Oracle entered Watergate in the national contest as a tongue-in-cheek effort to boost morale and celebrate a Tech “athlete” who might bring home a win.
The editorial team found the critter in the since-demolished Miller Hall and chose the name as a callback to the bugging devices at the center of the 1970s-era Watergate scandal. Against all odds (and many other insects), Watergate scurried to first place, collecting a $25 prize before being promptly eaten by a lizard.
The tragic twist only fueled the legend. Students at Tech held a campus memorial, wore black armbands in mourning and even bought a cake with the prize money. In the aftermath, October 28 was declared “Watergate Day” on campus, a date still officially recognized nearly 40 years later.
“Watergate Day has kind of been forgotten until now,” said Shonia George, special collections outreach and events coordinator at Tech. “But it’s been an officially recognized day since 1986, and we thought it was time to bring it back—this time with a race everyone can join.”
The new event is organized by Tech’s Archives and Special Collections, which unearthed the story while combing through university history.
“I came across this story years ago in the archives and thought, ‘Wow, we have a day named after a cockroach and people forgot,’” said Megan Atkinson, Tech’s director of archives and special collections. “History can get bogged down in heavy topics, but this one is just fun.”
This year’s Watergate Roach Race invites participants from across the campus community to register their own “athletes.” Each racer must be a real cockroach—no stand-ins allowed—and contestants can submit a brief biography describing their roach’s name, backstory and “training regimen.”
Race organizers have even established official rules and regulations, including a firm stance against performance-enhancing substances for any six-legged competitors. Bob Luna, Tech alumnus and the longtime voice of the Golden Eagle Marching Band, will serve as announcer and live video of the race will air on the stadium jumbotron.
Free commemorative t-shirts and bumper stickers will also be available while supplies last.
“We’re hoping people come up with some silly names, silly stories, and just have fun with it,” Atkinson said. “This is one of those lighthearted traditions that can bring the campus together.”
The Watergate Roach Race is a free event and the community is invited to watch. For more information, including official race rules and registration details, click here or contact George at sgeorge@tntech.edu.