Bill would bring back Lady Vols nickname

Nate Rau | USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

A state lawmaker filed a bill Monday that would bring back the Lady Vols nickname for all University of Tennessee women's sports teams.

On July 1, the university got rid of the Lady Vols nickname for all sports besides women's basketball. The university said last year it would switch to the power T logo and Volunteers nickname for branding reasons in conjunction with its new licensing agreement with Nike.

Opponents rallied against the decision, saying the Lady Vols name brought a sense of pride for women's athletics. A petition to bring back the Lady Vols name garnered over 28,000 signatures, and opponents also held a rally at the state Capitol last year. The opposition came after the university was hit with two lawsuits alleging sexual discrimination from former women's athletics department administrators.

State Rep. Roger Kane, R-Knoxville, said he decided to introduce the legislation after opponents didn't get an appropriate response from the university or the board of trustees. Kane said he has a letter of support for saving the nickname that has been signed by 45 lawmakers.

"We've created two classes of women athletes at the university," said Kane, whose daughter is a former UT track and field athlete. "There's the Lady Vols (women's basketball players), and then, oh yeah, there's the other women's sports athletes."

Kane said he hasn't heard from a single constituent or other supporter in favor of dropping the Lady Vols name. And he worried that the Lady Vols name could go away for women's basketball eventually as well.

In a June 30 letter posted on the website BringBacktheLadyVols.com, Alicia Gorman, a member of the UT swimming and diving team between 1995 and 2000, expressed dismay that the public rallies, prominent opposition and online petition didn't persuade the university to reverse its decision.

"I am a Lady Vol," Gorman said in her letter. "I am excellent. I will contribute. I will speak up. I will fight for others who will come after me to have the same great experiences and for my daughters who may one day have the chance to become Lady Vols too."

The athletics department has no comment on Kane's legislation, a spokesman said.

In addition to the bill related to the nickname, Kane said he has prepared another bill that would require the university to hold a public hearing anytime a petition garnered at least 10,000 signatures. He said the Lady Vols debate drove home that the university needs to do a better job of answering from those who object to its decisions.

Reach Nate Rau at 615-259-8094 and on Twitter @tnnaterau.