Tennessee Volunteers - Overview of The Volunteers Athletic Programs

Overview of The Volunteers Athletic Programs

The Tennessee Volunteers have competed in the Southeastern conference since its inception in 1932 and consistently been at the top. The Vols have adopted a tradition for competing in every sport often resulting in many teams being ranked within the top 25. Tennessee has historically been known for their football and women's basketball programs that have both featured several famous coaches including Robert Neyland and Pat Summitt. Tennessee's football team won the first ever BCS National Championship Game and also represents the 9th winningest program in the NCAA. Most recently Tennessee women's basketball team won the 2007 & 2008 National Championships earning Pat Summit her eighth national title which is the most in women's basketball. Overall Tennessee has won 147 regular season SEC championships and 23 national championships in women's basketball, football, men's indoor and outdoor track & field, women's indoor and outdoor track & field, and men's swimming & diving. The only Tennessee sport that does not compete in the SEC is women's rowing which competes in C-USA and won the 2010 conference championship.

Tennessee is one of the most tradition rich programs in the country with many of their traditions coming from the early 1900s. Tennessee's orange and white colors were selected by Charles Moore, a member of the first football team in 1891. They were later approved by a student body vote. The colors were chosen because of the common American daisy which grew on The Hill, an area of campus surrounding Tennessee's most notable building Ayres Hall. Tennessee adopted the name Volunteers because of a nickname "The Volunteer State" that Tennessee received during the War of 1812. The name became even more prominent in the Mexican War when Gov. Aaron V. Brown issued a call for 2,800 men to battle Santa Ana and some 30,000 Tennesseans volunteered. The iconized 'T' that represents the men's Tennessee sports programs was introduced by Doug Dickey and then re-designed by Johnny Majors. The separate men and women's programs have allowed the women's sports to adopt a separate identity apart from the men's by not only referring to themselves as the Lady Vols but also adopting the color Columbia Blue into their uniforms and adopting a different logo with a different 'T' that represents the Lady Vols. The famous Smokey mascot was introduced in 1953 by The late Rev. Bill Brooks who entered his prize-winning blue tick coon hound, "Brooks' Blue Smokey," in a contest at halftime of the Mississippi State game that season. The dogs were lined up on the old cheerleaders' ramp at Shields-Watkins Field and Each dog was introduced over the loudspeaker and the student body cheered for their favorite, with "Blue Smokey" being the last hound introduced. When his name was called, he barked. The students cheered and Smokey threw his head back and barked again. This kept going until the stadium was in an uproar and UT had found its mascot. The tradition of running through the 'T' on game days began in 1965 when Doug Dickey moved the teams' bench to the west side and had the team enter through a giant 'T' performed by the Pride of the Southland Band. One of the biggest trademarks and most recognized sights about Tennessee sports is the checkerboard end zones that was introduced in the 1960s and reappeared in the 1980s because of the checkerboard design that Ayres Hall features on its outside brick work, and currently can also be found in the Thompson-Boling Arena. The Hill is another highly memorable aspects about Tennessee because since the 1800s, "The Hill" has been symbolic of the higher education in the state of Tennessee. The University, founded in 1794 as Blount College moved to "The Hill" in 1828 and quickly grew around it. The main part of UT's old campus stands on this rise above the north shore of the Tennessee River. Neyland Stadium sprawls at the base of The Hill, between it and the River. The Vol Navy is one of the most unique experiences for a game day at any school because only the University of Tennessee, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Washington are adjacent to body of waters. Today, approximately 200 boats of all shapes and sizes make up this giant floating tailgate party on the river, and boats begin arriving days in advance of home games. The "Pride of the Southland" is one of the most recognizable bands in the country and has represented the state of Tennessee for the last 40 years at ten consecutive Presidential Inaugurations, from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George W. Bush. The band has also made more than 40 bowl appearances, including the Sugar Bowl, Astro Bluebonnet Bowl, Citrus Bowl, Gator Bowl, Hall of Fame Bowl, Garden State Bowl, Sun Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Peach Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl and the Rose Bowl. One of the most notable and hated college fighting songs in the country happens to be Rocky Top, the unofficial fighting song for the University of Tennessee which has become a ritual for every sport to play at games. Today Tennessee is ranked number 23 in the nation.