The Tennessee Volunteers made sure Dolly Parton‘s presence was everywhere during their season-opening football game against the Furman Paladins on Saturday (Sept. 5.)
Parton — who is perhaps Tennessee’s most beloved legend — died last month, on Aug. 25.
So when the Volunteers kicked off their season at Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium, they honored the late star with tributes throughout the game, beginning with the butterfly decals the players wore on their helmets.
How Did the Tennessee Volunteers Honor Dolly Parton at Their First Game After Her Death?
At halftime, the Volunteers’ “Pride of the Southland” marching band performed a rendition of “9 to 5,” spelling out the name “Dolly” across the field along with a heart.
In between game play, tribute videos and Parton songs played for the crowd. Perhaps the biggest impact came when the stadium played “I Will Always Love You,” creating a stadium-wide sing-a-long from all 102,000 fan, per Outkick.
The team also swapped out their fourth-quarter song, which is typically “The Way I Talk,” by another famous Tennessean — Morgan Wallen.
On Saturday, the song the team chose was “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” an album title track of Parton’s from 1973.
What Was Dolly Parton’s Connection to the Tennessee Volunteers?
Parton was perhaps East Tennessee’s most famous export. She worked with the Volunteers on a few different occasions over the course of her life.
In 2023, the singer made a surprise appearance at Neyland Stadium to perform during the Volunteers game against the Georgia Bulldogs. Peyton Manning — who played for the Volunteers in college — walked out with her onto the field.
That day, she performed a rendition of Tennessee’s unofficial fight song “Rocky Top,” which was also a bonus track on her then-just-released Rockstar album.
How Did Dolly Parton Die?
- Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25. She was 80 years old.
- The singer privately faced a “brief battle with cancer” before her death, according to her representatives.
Read More: Dolly Parton’s Cause of Death Revealed
A global outpouring of love, support and tributes followed the legend’s death. Parton’s musical work spans back to the mid-1960s and has produced some of the most recognizable songs in country music, including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.”
But Parton is perhaps best remembered for her humanitarian work, including her Imagination Library, medical research and decades of philanthropy.
See Pictures of Dolly Parton, Through the Years
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
