In 1794, the University of Tennessee was founded. There are almost 28,000 students which represent all fifty states and over a hundred different countries. You could hear the school being called UT Knoxville or just UT. A bold orange is the school color which is most commonly paired with white. The college is part of the Southeastern Conference and has twenty-one varsity teams. The mascot is Smokey IX which is a Bluetick Coonhound and the school sports teams are referred to as the Volunteers, Vols, or Lady Volunteers. The school is known for its research facilities and teaching hospital.

Before Tennessee was ever a state the University started as Blount College in 1794. It was an all male college that was chartered by the legislature of the Southwest Territory. Because of low student enrollment and a small amount of faculty, the school struggled until 1807 when the school became East Tennessee College. Between 1807 and 1809 there was only one staff member who was also the President of the college, Samuel Carrick. He died and the school closed until 1820. In 1840, the school became East Tennessee University. During the American Civil War, the school was damaged badly because of battles close by and the fact that the school was located between two Forts. The school was also taken over by the army as a hospital and barracks. Soon after the state gave land and money to East Tennessee University and in exchange the school was to focus its studies on military training, agriculture, and mechanics. Other advanced programs were added and in 1879 the school became the University of Tennessee Volunteers. As many other colleges, during World War II, the school was a part of a program called the V-12 Navy College Training Program. In the history of the school, UT is constantly being recognized for something, whether it's the best sports facilities, best parties, most athletic student body, or one of the oldest school's in the nation.

At one time, the college was located on Gay Street, but in 1828 it was moved to an area called Barbara Hill. This forty acre plot of land was named after the Governor Blount's daughter but today it is referred to as "The Hill." The campus of UT has grown quite a bit, but the little red buildings on "The Hill" remain. If you were to divide the main campus up, you could section it off into three parts: student housing, academic buildings, and athletic facilities. One interesting thing about the school is that it has a bus system called the "T" that runs on biodiesel fuels. This bus systems takes students and faulty around campus at NO CHARGE!! Also, there is a service for the students called "T-link" that is a cab ride after dark for free for any student. This service helps students feel safe to travel around campus at anytime day or night. Alongside the main campus is the Agricultural Campus and the Cherokee Research Campus.

Student life is full of fun times to be had by all! Many students take advantage of the pedestrian mall and amphitheater in which they can hang out, watch concerts, picnic, study, or play Frisbee. The school often puts on free concerts for its students during the school year. If you go to the University of Tennessee and sports is your thing, but you don't play one of the varsity sports, you will most likely be visiting the T-RECS. This stands for Tennessee Recreational Center for Students and includes a swimming pool, basketball courts, exercise equipment, and even a Smoothie King! Also, for no charge, students may check out tennis racquets, soccer balls, and other sports equipment. Another thing about UT is that on campus there are more than 450 student organizations which can tap into anyone's interest! You will find clubs and organizations that cover subjects such as politics, arts, sports, cultural groups, and Greek life. Greek life on campus includes 18 Sororities and 29 Fraternities. No matter the function, we have the sorority dress for your event! There are a number of religious organizations like the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, the Non-Denominational Protestant Christian group, the Christian Student Fellowship, and the Wesley Foundation.

A part of student life is going to football games, basketball games and any of the other Varsity game day sporting events. Being a part of the Southeastern Conference, the Tennessee Volunteers are automatically held to a higher athletic standard than many other schools in the nation. It is a very tough conference to be a part of, especially in the area of football. The Vols football team has won national championships five times and under the leadership of Derek Dooley, the Volunteers are hoping for another championship soon! It is going to be hard to achieve this goal playing against the caliber of teams that Tennessee must play against like the University of South Carolina, the University of Georgia, or the University of Florida. Notable athletes that started out at as a Volunteer are Peyton Manning and Reggie White. As far as the colors of UT go, orange and white were picked in 1889 by Charles Moore, president of the athletic association. His inspiration? It was the orange and white daisies that he said grew on "The Hill."

The fight song is "Down the Field" and is always played by the marching band, the Pride of the Southland Band, so that the football team can run onto the field. It is also played when the Volunteers score a touchdown or field goal. Another common song that is often thought to be the fight song but is not is "Rocky Top." The live mascot of UT is the hound dog named Smokey and has been around since 1953. The Volunteers got their name because of Tennessee being known as the "Volunteer State." The state got this name because of how many of its state citizens who volunteered for the War of 1812, the American Civil War, and the Mexican American War. The sports teams at UT have been known as the Vols or Volunteers since 1905. When you check out the next sporting event at the University of Tennessee, SidelineSweetie.com can have you dressed in the most stylish and fashion forward gameday dresses of the season! Orange and White dresses can be found at SidelineSweetie.com.