TENNESSEE, USA — In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Tennessee Athletics' recently updated brand standards have renamed the blue accent color, historically associated with the Lady Vols, "Summit Blue," according to a release.
Four teams will debut the Summit Blue uniforms during the upcoming 2022-23 academic year. This fall, the Tennessee soccer and volleyball teams will be the first to compete in the new Summit Blue jerseys.
The Lady Vols basketball team will wear the color this winter and the softball squad's jersey will feature the color in the spring, UT Sports said.
Summit Blue stands alongside "Smoky Grey" and "Dark Mode" as the three accent colors on Tennessee Athletics' official color palette.
According to UT Sports, the first version of the Lady Vols' blue accent color appeared in 1968 when Joan Cronan set out to obtain jerseys for the women's basketball team. At the time, no company offered an orange uniform, so Cronan opted for Columbia blue uniforms.
Later when orange uniforms became available, Tennessee switched to the traditional orange jerseys but a touch of Summit Blue remained.
"Tennessee's history as a worldwide leader in women's athletics, along with the Lady Vols' unique legacy of excellence are traditions we are proud to celebrate," Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. "As some of our teams recently saw their new Summit Blue uniforms for the first time, they reacted with a joy and enthusiasm that I hope will extend to our fans and proud alumni."
The soccer and volleyball Summit Blue jerseys will soon be unveiled on these teams' official social media channels.
Fans are encouraged to follow @Vol_Soccer and @Vol_VBall for the latest updates.
