Tennessee Football Announces Heartfelt Tribute to Dolly Parton

Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel opened his Press conference on August 31st by announcing plans to honor the late "Queen of Country Music" Dolly Parton with a helmet sticker for this upcoming season. The Volunteers' season kicks off this weekend with ahome opener against 1-0 Furman, as many in the area and across the globe still mourn the loss of the country icon.

For Dolly. 🦋

A commemorative helmet sticker will be worn to honor Dolly Parton for every game this season. pic.twitter.com/A1mBw9ZqxZ
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) August 31, 2026

Dolly was a native of East Tennessee, graduating from Sevier County High School in Sevierville, Tennessee, and always showed great pride and admiration for her home state and the University of Tennessee. Dolly was loved by many for her kindness and generosity, giving back to her home state, no matter where her career had taken her.

Dolly will forever be connected to the University of Tennessee, receiving an honorary degree from the school in 2009 for her remarkable career and selfless philanthropic work through the Imagination Library, her heartfelt 2009 commencement speech at UT Knoxville, where she urged students to "dream more", and her 2023 performance of "Rocky Top" at Neyland Stadium, where she was dressed in Vols' orange and white while being accompanied by Tennessee great, Peyton Manning.

Josh Heupel's Thoughts on Game Week and Honoring the "Queen of East Tennessee"

"Game week in Tennessee, ready to go play some ball. I am looking forward to seeing our fans. For a bunch of our players, first experience inside Neyland Stadium. Everybody inside the program is excited about kicking this thing off on Saturday. Culmination of the work that goes into it, dating all the way back to last January as we started our offseason program. I'm excited to go play and compete with these guys, and you know ultimately we will find out where we are at, and where we have got to continue to grow, but looking forward to the weekend." Heupel said.

Heupel then spoke on Dolly's passing, stating, "It would be remiss if I didn't talk about the passing of Dolly Parton. All that she has meant across the world, this country, and certainly the queen of East Tennessee. A lady that was extremely proud of her roots. You look at her impact, you know, just her ability to give back and make an impact on people. Certainly here in East Tennessee. She meant a lot to people across the country, but certainly here in the state of Tennessee, too, so we will be wearing a sticker patch on the back of our helmet to recognize her accomplishments and everything that she has meant, as she had an impact here in Tennessee." Heupel said.

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