The Tennessee Volunteers will honor the late, great country music and native Tennessean Dolly Parton with a special helmet decal throughout the 2026 season.
The sticker features a butterfly emblem, which is synonymous with Parton’s brand.
Parton passed away on August 25 at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer.
While Parton gained international fame as a singer and actress, she never forgot her East Tennessee roots. Not only spent considerable time in the area but also became a leading philanthropist, giving to causes benefiting the people of her native region. And of course, she maintained close ties with the University of Tennessee.
“Parton’s Dollywood theme park is an anchor of East Tennessee’s tourism economy, and she always embraced her Appalachian heritage,” CBS Sports reports. “Parton sang Tennessee’s unofficial fight song, ‘Rocky Top,’ along with Peyton Manning during the Volunteers’ 2023 game against Georgia at Neyland Stadium.”
As Parton said at the time, “I’ve performed ‘Rocky Top’ so many times live in my concerts through the years, and I know how much that song means to Vols fans.”
Parton received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Tennessee in 2009 and delivered the commencement address that same year.