The Tennessee Volunteers will be honoring Dolly Parton with a helmet sticker this season, the college football team’s head coach, Josh Heupel, announced on Monday.
Parton, a Tennessee native, died last week at the age of 80 from cancer.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t also talk about the passing of Dolly Parton,” Heupel said Monday. “All that she’s meant across the world, this country, and certainly, the queen of East Tennessee – a lady that was extremely proud of her roots.”
The singer grew up in Sevierville, roughly 30 miles east of Knoxville, where the University of Tennessee is located.
“You look at [Parton’s] impact, you know, just her ability to give back, make an impact to people, certainly here in East Tennessee. She means a lot to people across this country,” Heupel said. “We’ll be wearing a sticker patch on the back of our helmet to recognize her accomplishments and everything that she’s meant.”