Lady Vols Nickname Dropped By Tennessee Outside Of Basketball

Tennessee will no longer use the Lady Vols nickname in sports other than women’s basketball, starting in 2015. 

The Lady Vols are no more.

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Tennessee announced on Tuesday that it’s dropping the nickname that it has long used for its women’s sports. The decision to move away from the Lady Vols nickname in favor of referring to all teams as the “Tennessee Volunteers” is a part of a brand transition the school is making as it switches from Adidas to Nike.

“During this process, Tennessee athletics conducted a comprehensive branding audit that utilized the talents of the NIKE Graphic Identity Group. The results of a study conducted by the University Office of Communications and Marketing in conjunction with industry leaders in higher education branding were also examined, with both audits recommending the consolidation of logos and word marks in order for better branding consistency, with the Power T serving as the primary mark for campus and athletics,” the school said in a statement.

The only exception is the women’s basketball program, which will continue to use the nickname in an effort to respect the tradition of the excellent program once led by Pat Summitt.

It’s a wise decision to keep the Lady Vols name for women’s basketball.

The program has so much recognizability with that nickname and it would be a mistake to move away from it.

Summitt is regarded by many as the greatest coach in women’s basketball history. She went 1,098-208 at Tennessee and won a whopping eight national championships before retiring in 2012.

Changes for the other women’s sports will take place July 1, 2015.

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