Tennessee

Why does Lady Vols softball wear blue uniforms? Explaining story behind ‘Summitt Blue’ jersey

Published

1 year ago

May 24, 2024

Why does Lady Vols softball wear blue uniforms? Explaining story behind ‘Summitt Blue’ jersey

Tune into a playoff game for the first time and you will come across some unique, and maybe outlandish, uniforms that teams wear. It’s even the strategy some use to make their bracket come March Madness.

Tennessee softball is one of them.

The No. 3 seed Lady Vols (43-10 overall, 19-5) are playing for their ninth berth to the Women’s College World Series this weekend in the Knoxville Super Regional against SEC-foe No. 14 seed Alabama, starting on Friday, May 24 at 4 p.m. ET.

REQUIRED READING: Why it’s special for Tennessee softball seniors to lead Lady Vols back to NCAA super regional

Though the Lady Vols wear “traditional” Tennessee color uniforms, white and “Smokey Grey” they also have an alternate uniform that stands out on TV: “Summitt Blue.”

And so, as the Lady Vols look to pick up two more wins to return to the WCWS for the second straight year, curiosity has risen on the origin story of their “Summitt Blue” uniforms and why the Lady Vols wear them. Here’s what you need to know:

Why does Lady Vols softball wear blue uniforms?

To the average fan who does not pay close attention to Lady Vols games, blue may not look right in the color scheme for Tennessee — considering the Vols logo is orange and the men’s basketball and football programs alternate between white, orange and “Smokey Grey” uniforms — and that is a fair assessment, but there is some history to it.

And it is a two-fold answer.

The “blue accent color”, as it was called by Tennessee’s website, first debuted with the Lady Vols women’s basketball team in 1968 due to uniform manufacturing companies not offering orange uniforms. In response to this, Tennessee’s women’s athletic director emeritus Joan Cronan decided on the Lady Vols home uniforms to be Columbia blue with orange lettering and piping on them. That is how the “blue accent” was born.

But in 2022, as part of the NCAA celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Tennessee renamed its “blue accent color” to “Summitt Blue” in honor of legendary Lady Vols and women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt. Summitt, of course, was a pioneer for women’s sports across her 38-year career coaching on Rocky Top, which featured eight national championships and a 1,098-208 career coaching record.

That season, Tennessee unveiled “Summitt Blue” uniforms for women’s basketball, women’s soccer, softball and volleyball.

“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 and director of athletics Danny White said in a 2022 press release. “As some of our teams recently saw their new Summitt Blue uniforms for the first time, they reacted with a joy and enthusiasm that I hope will extend to our fans and proud alumni.”

Tennessee softball team first debuted its “Summitt Blue” uniforms down Puerto Vallarta, Mexico last season for the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. Since then, the uniform has stayed in the rotation as the Lady Vols also wear their traditional white uniform with orange lettering and piping down the side and “Smokey Grey” uniform with orange lettering and piping down the side during weekend series.

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Tennessee

5 Keys For Florida to Beat No. 20 Tennessee – WRUF 98.1 FM | 850 AM | 103.7 HD2 ESPN

Published

7 hours ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

5 Keys For Florida to Beat No. 20 Tennessee – WRUF 98.1 FM | 850 AM | 103.7 HD2 ESPN

Florida is back in The Swamp on Saturday for the first time since Oct. 18, just in time for a rivalry matchup with No. 20 Tennessee.

The Gators walked away from their three-game road trip winless and interim coach Billy Gonzales is still yet to win a game. But while their 3-7 record eliminates them from bowl eligibility, the Gators still have plenty to play for. Tennessee and Florida State are the last two opponents on Florida’s schedule and historically create gritty matchups with bragging rights that go a long way. The Gators haven’t lost at home to Tennessee since 2003 and won’t play the Vols for two years with the SEC’s new scheduling practices.

Here are Florida’s five keys to taking down Tennessee’s high-powered offense and keeping the win streak alive.

Pressure Joey

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar leads one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Aguilar is first in the SEC with 2,737 yards and 19 touchdowns. Tennessee averages over 44 points per game and will blow the game open if you allow Aguilar to get comfortable.

Florida bringing defensive tackle Caleb Banks back into its lineup could be a game-changer after he’s missed the last seven games. His ability to stop the run and pressure the quarterback could force Aguilar to make quicker decisions and, in turn, make mistakes. Banks hasn’t really been on the field all season, but will instantly draw the Tennessee offensive line’s attention, which could provide openings for the rest of the defensive line.

Florida has only recorded 21 sacks this year, a clip that needs to improve if the Gators are going to slow down the Volunteer offense.

Limit Big Plays

Florida’s secondary is another area that needs to show out Saturday.

Tennessee is 14th in the country in passing yards per completion, near Ole Miss and Texas A&M, who both caused problems downfield for Florida. The wide receiver trio of Chris Brazzell II, Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews is elite. They are all within the top seven in the SEC in receiving yards. Brazzell leads with 808. Matthews, the worst statistically of the three, still has 200 more yards than Vernell Brown III, Florida’s leading receiver this year.

The Gators will have to watch out for the deep ball. Safety Bryce Thornton will be a major difference maker, but that’s if he makes it onto the field. He’s currently questionable, but his ball-hawking ability can create takeaways.

Show Up Every Play

Gonzales said it’s inevitable for a team like Tennessee to create big plays, but the real battle is making sure you get right up and prevent them from continuing.

That’s the exact mindset Florida’s defense needs to have going into Saturday.

At risk of becoming repetitive, the Volunteers’ offense is the most explosive part of their team. It’s how they win games. If the Gator defense can keep Tennessee under 30, they will have a chance to score the major upset.

Protect the Quarterback

DJ Lagway showed some slight improvement in Florida’s loss to Ole Miss. His long touchdown toss to receiver J. Michael Sturdivant with the sophomore signal-caller’s feet planted shows what he can do when he is confident and can get his mechanics set. That starts with the offensive line.

Austin Barber has struggled this season at left tackle. Lagway naturally tends to float out of the pocket, so when the offensive line is poor he is quick to escape toward the sideline. This encourages his off-balance throws, which have been notably inaccurate this season. Florida needs to prevent that as much as possible to allow Lagway to put points on the board. Tennessee scores a lot. If the Gators are going to keep up offensively, Lagway needs to have a near-perfect situation when throwing.

Make it Ugly

Sometimes rivalry games produce results that you wouldn’t expect, only because of the sheer emotion of the matchup. Fights break out and trash talk, exotic celebrations reign. So while the Gators have definitely been worse than Tennessee this season, a hard-mouthed, ugly game that gets the crowd involved can bridge the gap in on-the-field quality.

The Gators upset the Vols last time they came to The Swamp and a late hit on Graham Mertz after a quarterback kneel resulted in a fight after the final whistle. The home team has won four years straight in this rivalry for a reason. Getting Tennessee frustrated and keeping the crowd in the game can be an advantage.