BBBTV12 Serving Anderson, Roane, and Morgan Counties
PULASKI—With fire in its eye and thunder in its wings, Flame the Firehawk will launch at UT Southern (UTS).
“I am excited about the new feel of UT Southern athletics, and starting out with a new mascot will bring excitement to the entire campus,” Brandie Paul, UTS athletic director, said. “Flame the Firehawk will be a sure ‘fire’ hit.”
Joining the University of Tennessee System allowed UTS leaders to reimagine its mascot and athletic colors. After hosting focus groups to listen to students, faculty, alumni and community members, university leadership opted to add orange to its color palate of red and black. It also embraced a new mascot – Flame the Firehawk.
Knoxville-based illustrator Danny Wilson developed the concept and logo for the Firehawks.
Firehawks represents the fifth mascot for the university. When the university exclusively taught women, the teams were known as the Spinsters. During the college’s brief foray into football in 1939 and 1940, the team was known as the Cardinals. In 1950, the teams became known as the Indians, which lasted until 2002 when they became the RedHawks.
“I was here when Rowdy the Redhawk was introduced, it was exciting to see him become the spirit of our campus,” Paul said. “The unveiling will start us off in a direction that will be new and invigorating. Flame the Firehawk will light the way for a new spirit in our new UT family.”
UTS will unveil new uniforms for its 19 teams in late August.
To download athletic marks: https://news.tennessee.edu/ut-southern/
The University of Tennessee is a statewide system of higher education with campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin, Memphis and Pulaski; the UT Space Institute in Tullahoma; the UT Institute of Agriculture with a presence in every Tennessee county; and the statewide Institute for Public Service. The UT system manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its UT-Battelle partnership; enrolls about 50,000 students statewide; produces about 11,000 new graduates every year; and represents more than 400,000 alumni around the world.
