Neyland Stadium—Lighted V-O-L-S Sign

The 8-foot tall back-lighted VOLS letters were installed in summer 1966 at the top of the stadium on the east side. From summer 1966 until 1978, they were lighted every evening. They were turned off in 1978, except during night football games, as part of a sweeping energy conservation program. They were incorporated into the first version of the JumboTron, but were removed in 2009 with the renovation of the JumboTron and the addition of lighted pictures on the JumboTron. The Athletics Department donated the letters to the 2010 United Way of Greater Knoxville’s online auction, with a minimum bid of $300 per letter and a “buy it now” price of $5,000. Bidding on the letters as a unit was also provided for in the auction. Mike Hamilton, UT athletics director, was the 2010 chairman of the United Way campaign, which had a community fundraising goal of $12 million.