KNOXVILLE - As Tennessee prepares to eliminate the Lady Vols nickname and logo for all women's sports other than basketball, fans rallied at a board of trustees meeting Thursday to protest the decision.
About 60 fans chanted "Do the right thing," and "Save the Lady Vols" as trustees arrived. Some held pictures of former Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt. Others carried signs with messages such as "We're Not Going Away."
Tennessee announced in November that all its teams other than the women's basketball squad would be called the Volunteers and would have the "Power T" logo starting in 2015-16. The move takes effect Wednesday.
"We need to show them this is something we deeply believe they're making a wrong decision in," said Mollie DeLozier, who has helped lead the movement to preserve the Lady Vols nickname and logo. "Their job is to oversee what the university does, but that doesn't mean that every decision the university does is a correct decision or the right decision."
Rep. Roger Kane had sent a letter signed by 45 legislators asking trustees to discuss the matter, but trustees declined to put it on the agenda and didn't address the issue Thursday. James Murphy, the board's vice chair, said the board prefers to leave campus-based decisions such as this one left to the leaders of individual schools.
"We're delighted they were here," Tennessee Chancellor Jimmy Cheek said after the meeting. "They're passionate about what they believe. I'm in the business of having to make tough decisions every single day. Every decision I make at the university is tough. To get everybody to agree with a decision is not possible. Our fan base is extremely passionate for every one of our athletic teams, and I think we see some of the passion here."
Tennessee officials have said they're making the move in an attempt to promote one consistent brand throughout the athletic department. They've said they decided to let the women's basketball team maintain the Lady Volsnickname out of respect for its championship legacy established by Summitt.