JOHN ADAMS

John Adams: Petition keeps growing in support of Lady Vols

John Adams
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee
Lady Vols logo

Chancellors and athletic directors come and go. Topics burn brightly, then fade out of relevance.

But Lady Vols fan Susan Whitlow stays on message. And she never stops keeping score.

I received her latest tabulation a couple of weeks ago. She wrote that she now has more than 28,000 names on a petition to have the Lady Vols restored as the official name for all Tennessee women’s sports teams.

The impetus for the petition came in 2014 after a few UT administrators put on their creative-thinking pants and decided it would be a great idea to do away with “Lady Vols” except for women’s basketball.

Most fans thought otherwise. Months later, a petition was born.

Never mind the opposition. UT Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and athletic director Dave Hart stubbornly stood their ground.

Both have since “retired.” Cheek already has been replaced, and Hart will be, too, once Tennessee finally hires a new athletic director.

Dave Hart’s announcement gives ‘possibilities’ to those wanting Lady Vols nickname back

Those changes at the top speak to the power of a petition and persistence. My guess is Cheek and Hart might still be in power if not for the Lady Vols fiasco.

Whitlow and other leaders of the Lady Vols movement can take satisfaction in that. But based on their devotion to the cause, they won’t stop taking names for their petition. And they won’t stop sending the total to Joe DiPietro, president of the university system.

Lady Vols patch now available to public

DiPietro hasn’t gotten enough of the blame for this debacle. After all, as president, his title implies he has the authority to right the wrongs of underlings. Instead, he has taken a hands-off approach. If he continues to practice avoidance, that actually could work to the advantage of the petitioners and anyone else who would like to see Lady Vols back in play for all Tennessee women’s sports.

If this is left up to new chancellor Beverly Davenport and the new athletic director, I can’t imagine them not correcting the mistake of their predecessors. It’s a chance for instant popularity with your fan base and would come with no risk attached.

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It’s not as though anyone is passionately opposed to teams being called Lady Vols. They either are adamantly in favor of Lady Vols or have no interest in the subject.

Former Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer is regarded as the leading candidate for the athletic director’s job. He also played at UT and was a longtime assistant coach at the school. So he surely can appreciate the significance of the Lady Vols.

But you don’t need to know the history to prefer Lady Vols as a team name. Any college administrator with a modicum of common sense wouldn’t want one women’s team being referred to as Lady Vols and all the others as Vols.

The new chancellor doesn’t have to take my word for it, though. She should poll the current coaches and student-athletes, who would now be able to speak freely on the subject.

And if she still wants more input, Whitlow can provide her with 28,000 names.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnAdamsKNS.

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