Tennessee is putting Dolly Parton on its helmets this season.
Coach Josh Heupel said Monday the Vols will wear a commemorative sticker on the back of their helmets in honor of Parton, with the design set to debut Saturday when Tennessee opens against Furman. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Eastern time at Neyland Stadium, and the game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ and ESPN+.
The program confirmed the plan on its official X account Monday afternoon, saying that “a commemorative helmet sticker will be worn to honor Dolly Parton for every game this season.” The graphic shared by Tennessee shows an orange butterfly with Parton’s “Dolly” signature across the middle. The butterfly ties back to her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, along with much of her merchandise.
Parton, 80, died Tuesday in Nashville. The country music icon and philanthropist was born and raised in East Tennessee, and her connection to UT has remained strong in recent years.
Heupel addressed her death during his weekly press conference, calling attention to her impact in Tennessee and beyond.
"I'd be remiss if I didn't also talk about the passing of Dolly Parton - all that she's meant across the world, this country, and certainly the Queen of East Tennessee and a lady that was extremely proud of her roots," Heupel said. "You look at her impact, just her ability to give back, make an impact to people, certainly here in East Tennessee. She means a lot to people across this country, but certainly here inside the state of Tennessee, too.
"We'll be wearing a sticker patch on the back of our helmet to recognize her accomplishments and everything that she's meant and had an impact here on Tennessee."
Tributes have come in from around the world since Parton’s death. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has also publicly pushed to rename Nashville International Airport after her.
Parton’s ties to Tennessee football run deep. She sang "Rocky Top" inside Neyland Stadium after the first quarter of Tennessee’s game against Georgia in November 2023, after being led onto a stage in the south end zone by Peyton Manning and then joined by the UT choir.
Her relationship with the university also includes a 2009 commencement address to UT’s College of Arts and Sciences at Thompson-Boling Arena, where she received an honorary doctorate of humane and musical letters. She later performed at Thompson-Boling Arena in 2011 and 2014, and her 2011 show there was her first full concert in Knoxville in 25 years.
In 2023, Tennessee teamed with Parton on an exclusive Vols Edition of her album "Rockstar," which included a live version of "Rocky Top." That project became her final solo studio album.
Across her career, Parton released 49 studio albums and became one of the best selling female artists in history. Her philanthropic work also included Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which has provided more than 300 million books to children in five countries.
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