The first unofficial costumed “Smokey” began appearing at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville football games in the fall of 1967. The man behind the costume was John L. Rush, who had brought his old Saluki dog costume to Knoxville from his previous alma mater Southern Illinois University. Costumed Smokey quickly became a crowd favorite, appearing at official UT sporting events and posing with the cheer squad. The first uniform and additional iterations of early Smokey costumes were a light beige or tan.
These first eras of costumes were not officially recognized by UT Athletics until the fall of 1973 when Lindsey Nelson’s daughter Nancy Nelson became the first official costumed mascot Smokey. During this second era of costumed Smokeys, the mascot costume was changed to orange with white details. Over the years additions would be added to the ensemble including “SMOKEY” written across the costume’s back, a white belly with the initials “UT,” and orange polka dots to the stomach and paws.
At the halftime of the 1982 Duke game, a new costume was unveiled, a more realistic dog costume designed by the current human Smokey (Allen Landers) and the cheerleaders. The costume’s body was blue, and the head and gloves were gray. This costume debuted to mixed reactions and quickly retired while the orange Smokey mascot costume would continue to be seen on the sidelines until the next costume era.
The first modern Smokey costume was debuted in the fall of 1988. This final iteration of the costume was officially commissioned by UT Athletics and is most notable for its resemblance to Smokey the Dog. The costume is predominantly black, with brown and white details on the costume’s head, replicating the markings often found on the dog. Changes to the costume since 1988 have been minimal, and the mascot can be seen in a variety of different outfits over the years, often changing outfits depending on the occasion.
Smokey, as he is known in this third era of costumes, has won three national championships at the Universal Cheerleading Association College National Championships and was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2008.