Tennessee made sure Dolly Parton was part of the season opener in a big way.
As the Volunteers opened against Furman, more than 102,000 fans filled the stadium and broke into a huge singalong of Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” during a break in the game. Tennessee went on to beat Furman 56-9, but the tribute was one of the day’s biggest moments.
The Volunteers didn’t stop there. In the fourth quarter, the stadium shifted to another Parton song, “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” as the school continued its tribute to the singer, who died on Aug. 25.
Tennessee had already announced that Parton would be honored all season with a commemorative helmet sticker. The school said the sticker will be worn “For Dolly. 🦋” for every game this year.
Parton’s ties to Tennessee ran deep even though she never attended the University of Tennessee or went to college at all. She was born and raised in the state, and the university later made her part of its own story by awarding her an honorary doctorate in 2009.
Her connection to Neyland Stadium became especially memorable in 2023, when Peyton Manning escorted her onto the field before she performed “Rocky Top” during a game against Georgia.
Parton died of cancer in Nashville at age 80. Her manager told Billboard that she had worked “up until the day she died,” and she had been open about health problems in the years before her death, though she never publicly said she was battling cancer.
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