Athletics

We are Big Orange. We are unstoppable.

A perennial powerhouse in several sports, the University of Tennessee fields eighteen men's and women's NCAA Division I intercollegiate teams and is home to more than 500 student-athletes. The Vols and Lady Vols compete as members of the highly competitive Southeastern Conference.

Our student-athletes are committed to a culture of excellence, both on and off the field. During the 2010-2011 season, 240 student-athletes achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Of these student-athletes, four were named Academic All Americans, and 254 were awarded SEC Academic or SEC First-Year Academic Honor Rolls.

Eighty-seven of our student athletes became alumni in the 2010-2011 academic year. In addition, all Vols and Lady Vols teams are in good academic standing, according to figures from UT's Academic Progress Rate.

Since 1987, twenty-three UT sports teams have been crowned NCAA champions, including the Lady Vols basketball team and track and field team, and the Vols football, track and field, cross country, and swimming and diving teams.

Within the SEC, Tennessee has claimed 114 men's conference championship team titles, the most of any league school, and thirty-six women's team titles, for a total of 150.

Community service is integral to the Volunteer spirit. Each year, our student-athletes give back, whether visiting patients at East Tennessee Children's Hospital, playing games with the Boys & Girls Club at the annual April Play Day, helping construct houses with Habitat for Humanity, or reading to children with the Knox County Read With Me program.  

The athletic achievements of our teams are showcased in the award-winning athletic facilities located throughout the campus. From Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena, to Barksdale Stadium, Lindsey Nelson Stadium, and the recently renovated Sherri Parker Lee Stadium and Jones Aquatic Center, these facilities echo a dedication to quality that is synonymous with the Volunteer tradition.

Just as devoted to sport as our student-athletes, our Volunteer fans are among the nation’s most allegiant. Through nail-biting championships and bitter defeats, our fans wear the orange and white as a badge of honor and belt out Rocky Top with pride.