Univ. of Tennessee AD John Currie on Thursday announced the "return of the Lady Vols nickname and logo for all women's sports," and "expressed hope that the announcement will restore an overall sense of unity," according to a front-page piece by Dan Fleser of the Knoxville NEWS SENTINEL. 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." Aside from basketball, Currie said that the team uniform options will "feature the Lady Vols logo and color scheme," but not until the '18-19 school year. He then "suggested the possibility of Tennessee women's golfers wearing Lady Vols' caps along with Power T attire on Monday." Former UT Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and former AD Dave Hart announced in '14 a decision to "drop the long-used Lady Vols nickname for all women's sports except basketball." The change "took effect" in '15 and was "part of what Cheek called 'brand consistency' as Tennessee transitioned to using Nike." Cheek and Hart "retired earlier this year" (Knoxville NEWS SENTINEL, 9/15). The AP's Steve Megargee noted the decision "gives student-athletes the option to call themselves and their teams the Lady Vols." Currie and Chancellor Beverly Davenport said that they had "received numerous comments about the issue since taking over their respective positions earlier this year." Currie said that Tennessee’s official mark and logo for all of its teams will "remain the solid orange 'Power T,' which was primarily associated with the Tennessee men’s programs before Hart’s decision" (AP, 9/14).
