Lady Vols Brand Back at Tennessee

John Currie heard the "Lady Vols" chants that rang out across Lee Stadium during Tennessee softball games.

Beverly Davenport read through the boxes and packets of petitions sent to her office, urging her to restore the Lady Vols nickname and logo for all women's sports at the university.

Currie, UT's first-year athletic director, and Davenport, in her first year as university chancellor, were together Thursday at the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio, announcing the return of the Lady Vols nickname and logo for all women's sports. Currie expressed hope that the announcement will restore an overall sense of unity.

"By committing to restore the visibility of the Lady Vol brand and showing it the reverence it deserves," Currie said, "our Tennessee family can move forward, more united."

What the change means

The measures that accompany the restoration include:

Student-athletes and teams other than basketball will have the freedom to again refer to themselves and their teams as Lady Vols while competing under the university's official mark, the Power T.

Lady Vols branding and signage will be restored at athletic facilities such as Lee Stadium and soccer's Regal Stadium.

Apparel options involving Lady Vols branding and color scheme also will be provided.

Related: Universities Drop 'Lady,' Unify Athletes, Polarize Alums

Aside from basketball, Currie said that the team uniform options will feature the Lady Vols logo and color scheme but not until the 2018-19 school year. He then suggested the possibility of Tennessee women's golfers wearing Lady Vols' caps along with Power T attire on Monday at the Mercedes-Benz Championships at Cherokee Country Club.

How we got to this point

Former UT Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and former AD Dave Hart announced in 2014 a decision to drop the long-used Lady Vols nickname for all women's sports except basketball. The change took effect in 2015 and was part of what Cheek called "brand consistency" as Tennessee transitioned to using Nike as an apparel provider. Cheek and Hart retired earlier this year.

Former UT swimmer Mollie DeLozier was active from the start in the movement to reverse their decision, which sparked a backlash from Lady Vols fans and former athletes. She called Thursday's announcement "a victory for the university."

From AB: 'Lady' Interrupted

"They corrected a decision that was wrong," she said. "It's a victory for Lady Vols fans and it's a sigh of relief."

DeLozier thinks the majority of the women's teams will embrace the Lady Vols nickname and logo. Tennessee soccer coach Brian Pensky, now in his sixth season, said the Lady Vols brand is "unlike any other" but also said that his players were not recruited to that brand.

"What they feel in their hearts and what they want moving forward remains to be seen," he said. "Those are conversations we're going to have with our kids."

DeLozier conceded that, in some cases, restoring the connection might take time. But she believes the restoration puts time on their side.

"This is a statement that the Lady Vols are going forward into the future," DeLozier said. "The most important thing is it's a part of the university's future."

Tennessee softball star Meghan Gregg, the SEC Player of the Year in 2017 and an All-American, wrote on Twitter: "I started my college career as a Lady Vol, and I get to once more be a Lady Vol for my senior year!"

What happens next

Currie said that some athletes "don't necessarily want to" refer to themselves as Lady Vols. He also said that "there may be unanimity among certain groups, but there is not unanimity across the board" regarding the issue.

Regardless, the issue was important enough for Davenport to broach it during the interview process with Currie. She characterized herself as being "intimately involved" with the restoration decision.

Davenport was sent petitions before moving to Knoxville and referred to the sum of the signatures as being "powerful." The number of signatures - either in hand-written form or online - has topped 40,000, DeLozier said.

"What I learned over and over again is this is our legacy, this is something that celebrates women, women's excellence and women's hard-fought challenges to be on equal par with men," Davenport said.

"I want everybody to remember the University of Tennessee is a place where women can thrive and win."

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