NewsHK
East Tennessee has lost one of its most recognizable figures, and at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, the scale of that grief became concrete.
A crowd of 102,000 Tennessee Volunteers fans joined together to sing Dolly Parton's 1974 hit "I Will Always Love You" during the program's 2026 season opener against the Furman Paladins.
The tribute was announced before kickoff.
Head coach Josh Heupel told the stadium that an orange butterfly decal bearing Parton's name would appear on the back of every player's helmet and confirmed it would carry through the full season.
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