Athletics Director Dave Hart announced in November 2014 that, after consultation with the NIKE Graphic Identity Group and a study conducted by the University Office of Communications and Marketing, the Power T logo would be used for all athletics programs other than the women’s basketball team, which would retain the Lady Vols designation. The changeover became effective with the change from Adidas to NIKE as the official apparel supplier of the Athletics Department.
The announcement immediately drew vocal opposition from students and members of the general public. Hart indicated in a newspaper interview that the changeover had been discussed with all current coaches and teams and that most favored the change. Coaches and teams, however, did not publicly endorse the change, but remained generally silent. Hart indicated that the opposition was principally directed against him personally, not at the changeover. Petitions, Facebook pages, letters to the editor, and general foment continued, but Hart and Chancellor Cheek did not vary in their decision to consolidate the teams or in their decision to adopt the Power T as the official logo for UT Knoxville, to be used by all elements of the institution: administrative, athletic, and academic.