Tennessee will honor the late Dolly Parton with a butterfly helmet sticker this season, Vols coach Josh Heupel announced on Monday, calling the music legend the “queen of east Tennessee.”“Her ability to give back, make an impact on people, she means a lot to people across this country but inside the state of Tennessee, too,” Heupel said.Tennessee opens its season Saturday against Furman.
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, 2026Parton, who died last week at 80, grew up in Sevierville, Tenn., outside of Knoxville, where a bronze statue of her was installed in 1987. In 2023, Parton returned to Knoxville and performed “Rocky Top” during a timeout. Former Tennessee quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning escorted her onto the field. Parton also spoke at the University of Tennessee’s commencement in 2009.Middle Tennessee State, located in Murfreesboro, Tenn., outside of Nashville, where Parton made her home later in life, will honor Parton with their own jersey patch this season.
In 1986, she founded Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., just outside Sevierville, which she hoped would increase job opportunities in the tourist-heavy area.Parton founded the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to help improve educational outcomes in Sevier County.Earlier this year, the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital just outside of Tennessee’s campus was renamed the Dolly Parton Children’s hospital after a large donation to the independent, not-for-profit hospital.Parton has long used the butterfly as her personal logo, harkening back to her days chasing butterflies as a young girl. She loved them, she said, because they were colorful, peaceful insects that didn’t bite nor sting.Aug 31, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
