Long before she was a country music star, Dolly Parton was just a girl growing up in East Tennessee and attended Sevier County High School.
Parton famously graduated from Sevier County in 1964 and a day later, she was headed off to Nashville to begin one of the most storied careers of any musician in history. While she became a global icon, Parton never forgot where she came from.
She loved her hometown so much that she sent a video to the Smoky Bears football team following their 2024 state championship run congratulating the team.
On Wednesday, Sept. 9, that same program announced tit would be wearing custom stickers on their helmets this season to honor Parton, who died on Aug. 25.
The stickers are a guitar pick with the bottom half of a guitar sticking
up, Parton's signature above the guitar and a butterfly by her signature.
The Smoky Bears are the latest team in the state to join in by adding a sticker to their helmets to honor Parton. The University of Tennessee announced that they would have a sticker on their helmets before the season. Middle Tennessee State University added a patch to their uniforms this year to honor Parton's legacy.
The Smoky Bears will debut the new helmet sticker Friday night as they host Daniel Boone (TN) in their first region game of the season.
Led by UConn quarterback commit Cooper Newman and Duke tight end commit Parker Newman, Sevier County is off to a 2-0 start this season winning by an average of 28 points. This season they're looking to make it three consecutive years where they've played for the TSSAA Class 5A state championship.
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton’s high school football team to honor her this season. See how
