Dolly Parton’s place in sports went well beyond a casual celebrity appearance. The country legend, who died Tuesday at 80, built a long trail of memorable moments across football, NASCAR and baseball, with Tennessee athletics at the center of much of it.
One of the biggest came on Thanksgiving in 2023, when she turned up at AT&T Stadium for Cowboys vs. Commanders and delivered a halftime show in a Cowboys cheerleader-style outfit. Performing in front of more than 90,000 fans and a huge NFL audience, Parton mixed her own classics – including “Jolene” and “9 to 5” – with “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions.”
“I thought, ‘Well at my age, if I can pull it off, it’s going to be good. And if I don’t, I can just pass it off as an old woman doing a stupid ass thing,’” Parton later told USA Today of the performance at 77 years old. “I’ve always said my desire to do something is greater than my fear of it.”
Her bond with Tennessee football ran just as deep. In 2023, ahead of the release of her “Rockstar” album, Parton teamed up with ESPN and Tennessee. ESPN planned to use her music during “Monday Night Football,” while UT worked with her on an exclusive Vols-themed version of the album that included a live recording of “Rocky Top,” per Music Row.
“My East Tennessee roots run deep, and I am so proud to be partnering with the Vols on a line of merchandise,” Parton said at the time, per Music Row. “I’ve performed ‘Rocky Top’ so many times live in my concerts through the years, and I know how much that song means to Vols fans. I am thrilled to have the chance to include my version of the song on a special edition of my new Rockstar album as part of this partnership.”
That same year, she was back in the Tennessee football spotlight before the Cowboys show even arrived. Peyton Manning led Parton onto the field at home for a performance of “Rocky Top” during Tennessee’s game against Georgia.
Parton’s sports connections also stretched to NASCAR. In 2019, Tyler Reddick drove a pink-and-white No. 2 car carrying her face and butterfly logo at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“Dolly is an icon and has had a lot of success in her career, which is something I admire while trying to build my own success in NASCAR,” Reddick said at the time, per Billboard. “Hopefully, we can take Dolly and the No.
2 Camaro to Victory Lane this weekend in her home state of Tennessee. I think that would be really special for everyone who is a fan of hers.”
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame also recognized her in 2020, naming her Tennessean of the Year. After her death, the organization released a statement saying, “We are saddened by the passing of a Tennessee icon, Dolly Parton,” the hall said in the statement, per The Tennessean. “Dolly was named the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame’s Tennessean of the Year in 2020 for her countless contributions to the state.”
Her sports ties reached back decades before that. In 1987, while filming a segment for her ABC show “Dolly!” at Yankee Stadium, Parton posed for a photo with Ron Guidry, Dave Righetti, Rick Cerone and Mike Pagliarulo.
And her influence kept showing up in Knoxville. In 2015, the Tennessee band paid tribute to her at Neyland Stadium with performances of “Jolene” and “9 to 5.” Parton couldn’t attend, but she sent a message that appeared on the video board.
“I was honored to have my music played at half time at the UT game on Saturday,” Parton said, per DollyParton.com.” I am flattered that they would think I was a good luck charm, but I don’t believe that I can make anybody win any more than I believe that Taylor Swift can make anybody lose!
They won because they played the better game that day. I am very proud of UT…
Go Vols!”
Her name also lived on through the Nashville Dollys, a community sandlot baseball team founded in 2019. The club said on Tuesday that it has “almost 30 team members, travelled all over the country playing baseball, [and] played well over 150 games” while supporting youth sports, charitable causes and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Earlier in 2026, Parton also congratulated her alma mater, Sevier County High School, after its girls basketball team won the state championship, the school’s first since 2002. She had also praised the school’s football team in 2024 after its state title.
“You girls have really knocked it out of the park. Well, out of court, I guess I should say,” Parton said in the video. “I am so proud of you.”
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