Lady Vols supporters rally against name change

KNOXVILLE — Lady Vols supporters gathered Saturday and continued to urge the University of Tennessee administration to reverse its decision to strip all but one of the school's women's teams of the Lady Vol nickname and logo.

Effective July 1, when Tennessee officially becomes a Nike school, the Lady Vols nickname and logo will be replaced by the university's "Power T" mark for all women's sports except basketball.

A former star Lady Vols athlete, a marketing professional and a former University of Tennessee attorney were among the group who spoke at a press conference at Knoxville restaurant Calhoun's. Tennessee Rep. Roger Kane, R-Knoxville, did not attend but sent a letter to university President Joe DiPietro.

"If the fans want something different than the administration, then I implore you to listen to the fans just as I have to do sometimes when the constituents in my district want me to vote a certain way," Kane wrote. "It is my job to represent the people and their view points and I believe this issue is the same for you as it pertains to the University of Tennessee."

University officials were not present at the press conference and did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment on the continued dissent over the change.

Former Lady Vols swimmer Erin Gaeckle, a May graduate, gave a statement that said she came away from the swimming and diving team's meeting with athletics director Dave Hart unaware that the women's team no longer would be called the Lady Vols or use the logo.

"I felt a little naive and ignorant when I found out that our university's athletic director had actually been 'letting us know' our logo would no longer be a part of the Tennessee Tradition," Gaeckle wrote. "It hurt me and confused me as to why someone would want to drop something so iconic and meaningful to so many."

Lady Vols donor Dr. Sharon Lord, for whom the women's basketball locker room is named, ripped a blank check in half during the press conference, a gesture she said symbolizes her withdrawal of financial support from the athletics department. She encouraged others to do the same.

"Money speaks," Lord said.

Rob Leadbetter, former university legal counsel for athletics, spoke about the importance of open government and said he is "deeply disturbed by the lack of transparency" shown by the university's administration.

Walt Williams, formerly the head of global sales and marketing for Towers Perrin, now Towers Watson, discussed the Lady Vols brand.

"This is a brand that is not dying," Williams said. " ... The Lady Vols brand is a global powerhouse. It represents all that is good in women's athletics."

Susan Whitlow, a Lady Vols fan who created a petition calling for a reversal that has since been signed by nearly 15,000 individuals, also spoke. Whitlow expressed disappointment that nobody from the university has acknowledged the signatures, which she has sent to both DiPietro and Hart.

"Is there anyone here from the University of Tennessee to receive these petitions?" Lady Vols Hall of Fame soccer player Laura Lauter Smith said.

Her question was met with silence.

Reach Matt Slovin and on Twitter @MattSlovin.