University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Excited For Smokey Grey Debut
October 06, 2015 | Football
By Brian Rice KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
UTSports.com
On Saturday, as the Vols face the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium, fans will get to see the new uniforms up close and personal for the first time.
Head Coach Butch Jones was excited to announce the debut of the uniforms on Monday, but reminded everyone that the play of the players in the uniforms is more important than the aesthetic of them.
“We will debut our Smokey Grey uniforms,” Jones said. “It does not help you win a football game, but I know everyone has been looking forward to that.”
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs is the only player to have put the uniform on so far, doing so for a photo shoot in June and the unveiling fashion show on July 1.
“That was pretty cool to be the first person to wear them,” Dobbs said. “It should be fun, Neyland will be rocking as we break out the grey uniforms. I think the helmets are the best part.”
The Smokey Grey helmets have the familiar orange Power T, but it rests on a shell that features a mountain pattern in shades of grey. Nike designers spent time in the Smoky Mountains to come up with a design that was true to the region.
“It’s a very powerful color and a very powerful uniform,” Jones said. “I like the entire setup, from the pants, down to the shoes and the jerseys. Josh is right, the helmet is a pride of Tennessee, it’s the Smoky Mountains. We are looking forward to debuting them Saturday afternoon.”
The helmet represents the first significant change to Tennessee’s head gear since Doug Dickey replaced block numbers with the “T” on the side of the helmets in 1965. It will be the first time Tennessee has sported a helmet color other than white since the team began wearing molded helmets in the 1950s.
When the Vols run through the T in Smokey Grey, it will mark just the fifth time since the 1930s that a Tennessee team has worn anything other than orange on Shields-Watkins field. In 2004, the Vols wore a throwback white jersey with orange shoulders for the home opener against UNLV, a 42-17 Tennessee victory. In 2009, Tennessee wore a black jersey with orange numbers and orange pants for a 31-13 win over South Carolina. The Vols wore gray jerseys and pants against Georgia and Vanderbilt in 2013.
Grey is not a color that is without tradition at UT. In addition to being listed as a school color in the University's official style guide, the undefeated Volunteers of 1914 wore grey uniforms en route to a 9-0 record while outscoring opponents, 347-37. In that 1914 campaign, Z. G. Clevenger's team allowed more than seven points on just one occasion, a 16-14 win over Vanderbilt in Nashville.
Dobbs and his teammates will look to recreate the magic Saturday afternoon.
"I remember the first time I saw it, I was amazed. It's gorgeous,” Dobbs said. “I can't wait to represent the `T' wearing the uniform. I know our fans will definitely be excited to see it."
