See also the web-only companion article, “The Busy-ness of being Smokey”
Adam Vicars never expected to follow in his older brother’s paw prints when he got to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, but he did. Adam, 22, who graduates in December with a degree in logistics, spent about 4 years—from 2003 to 2007—as UT’s costumed mascot, Smokey. Adam’s brother, Jason, ’01, was Smokey for 2 -and-a-half years and won the Universal Cheerleaders Association Mascot National Championship in 2000 and 2001. Adam and Jason Vicars are the only brothers ever to have served as Smokey, according to Joy Postell, UT mascot director.
The bluetick coonhound became UT’s mascot in 1953. The hound won the Pep Club contest that year because he howled when the students cheered. Smokey IX is the current real-life mascot.
The Vicarses moved to Tennessee in 1984. The boys’ mother, Michele Vicars, saw her first UT game while she was 8 months pregnant with Adam. She says the family immediately became “diehard” fans. They have season tickets for football and men’s basketball.
Both Jason and Adam describe running through the “Power T” as an adrenaline rush. Jason says being Smokey was extremely rewarding, but also very demanding. Smokey makes appearances at home and away football games; men’s and women’s home basketball games; home baseball, softball, volleyball, and soccer games; bowl games and tournaments; and hundreds of appearances on behalf of the university.
“Being the mascot at UT is different from being the mascot anywhere else,” he says. “UT is one of the few universities in the country that recognizes the spirit program as a part of the athletic program. We were treated as student athletes, and it was a great experience.
“Many people think it’s just throwing on the costume for a football game. I wouldn’t be surprised if being the mascot requires more time than any other sport on campus.”
Both Adam, who graduated from Farragut High School in Knoxville, and Jason, who graduated from Dobyns–Bennett High School in Kingsport, received college scholarships for being Smokey. Being Smokey, however, wasn’t part of the original plan when the brothers applied to UT.
As a child, Jason dreamed of playing football for the Vols. “After enrolling in college I realized I wasn’t athletically gifted enough to play football, but I wanted to find a way to get involved and support my favorite team,” he says. “I auditioned for Smokey on a dare. I checked my inhibitions at the door and went for it.”
Adam didn’t decide to try out for the mascot position until after he had enrolled at UT. He asked his older brother for help. Jason warned him that it took up a lot of time, but he encouraged Adam by teaching him Smokey’s personality, dances, and signature moves.
“I never thought I would be Smokey,” Adam says. “I never had mascot experience prior to trying out. It is something I’ll never forget, and I am grateful for all the opportunities that I have received throughout my college career.” As part of the All-American Mascot Team, Adam traveled to Vancouver, Canada, to film commercials for ABC and ESPN. He also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Wheel of Fortune. “These are great experiences I will remember for the rest of my life, and it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been Smokey,” Adam says.
Jason, 29, is a territory sales manager for Newell Rubbermaid in Nashville. “[Being Smokey] is something that holds a special place in my heart,” he says. “Even though I’ve lived in many places since I graduated from UT, I always make it a point to get back to as many games as I can to support my Vols.”
Once a Smokey, always a Smokey—at least in spirit. We talked to alumni who portrayed Smokey during their college years to find out what they’re doing now. We also asked them to reminisce about their days in the bluetick hound suit.
’95, psychology. He served as Smokey from 1993 to 1995. A native of Oak Ridge, Broyles now lives in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago and works at DecisionQuest, a firm that offers trial consulting and research, strategic communications, and courtroom graphics. He and his wife, Jacky, have 3-year-old twin daughters, Josie and Emma.
Favorite Smokey moment: “There can’t be any sweeter moment then leading the team onto the field through the ‘Power T’ for the first time. The pure exhilaration and adrenaline I felt when the band parted and the crowd roared cannot be adequately described.”
’96, BFA, studio art. He was Smokey from 1993 to 1997. Patnode lives in San Jose, California, where he is the mascot operations manager for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League.
Favorite Smokey moment: “In 1996 I became the first mascot to be ejected from an NCAA championship game. During the women’s basketball Final Four versus Georgia in Charlotte, North Carolina, I was abusing a giant stuffed bulldog that was won the previous day at a theme park. Punch, kick, elbow drop, and then rip. The seam along the bottom split. Unfortunately I did not know this until after I had swung it over my head releasing millions of tiny foam stuffing beads all over the court. These beads were too light to sweep up, and it took 15 minutes of dragging wet towels to get them up. Needless to say, the nationally televised game was delayed, and I was banished from the building, and not allowed to perform.
“By the way, we ended up winning the game by more than 20 points.”
’98, political science; ’00, psychology. He was Smokey from 1995 to 2000 and won the Universal Cheerleaders Association Mascot National Championship in 2000 with fellow Smokey, Jason Vicars. Devault lives in Nashville where he is the entertainment manager for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League. For the past 7 years, Adam has served as Gnash, the Predators’ saber-toothed tiger mascot.
Adam got married last summer, and another former Smokey, Andrew Carlton, was in the wedding party. (Adam had been best man in Andrew’s wedding.)
A famous prank occurred during Adam’s 4-year tenure as Smokey. After the Auburn game in October 1999, Adam packed up the mascot suit and went to his apartment. “Some Auburn fans followed me home and broke into my apartment when I went out to eat,” he said. They stole his Smokey suit. A local radio station offered a $1,000 reward for the suit’s return. Nearly 6 months after it was stolen, the mascot gear was found on the Auburn campus. The culprits were nabbed, but Devault declined to press trespassing charges. The thieves were given community service.
Favorite Smokey moment: “The best thing that happened during my tenure—besides the Vols winning the national football championship—was Smokey winning UT’s first spirit squad national championship.”
’00, communications. He was Smokey from 1995 to 1998. Born in Knoxville, Andrew now lives in Nashville where he is a Christian pop-rock-country musician. He’s had two award-winning albums, and his single “This is Faith” was a Christian Radio Weekly Top 100 Song of the Year and a Radio and Records Top 20 single. His third album, I Know Better, came out last summer in stores nationwide and on iTunes. Andrew also opened for Big and Rich last summer. For more about Andrew and his career, see http://www.andrewcarlton.com/about.htm.
Favorite Smokey moment: “The real Smokey dog cut in front of me as we were running the team through the ‘Power T’ against Georgia. I got caught up in his leash and almost fell on my face. My arms were whirling through the air so I could keep my balance. That night I got home after the close Tennessee win, settled in, and flipped on the television, only to find that the entire act had been caught on tape. The ESPN broadcaster used it to promo the game story, saying, ‘Up next, Tennessee’s close call.’ ’’
’02, logistics and transportation. Smokey from 1999 to 2002, Jamie, along with fellow Smokeys Jason Vicars and Benji Gray, won the 2001 UCA Mascot National Championship. Jamie lives in Knoxville, where he is the vice-president of operations for Golden Rule Medical.
Favorite Smokey moment: “I proposed to my wife on the field at my last football game,” he said. It was November 24, 2001, and the Vols were playing Vanderbilt. Jamie made a big sign that said Natalie, will you marry me? and enlisted the help of his two co-Smokeys to hold it up at just the right moment. He clued in the coaches, the CBS crew, and the couple’s parents. He told Natalie he’d made special arrangements for her to come down to the field so they could have a photo taken together at his last game.
“She came down a couple of minutes before halftime,” he said. As the band took the field, Jamie—as Smokey—came out “and when she turned around, I was there on one knee in the end zone.” Natalie said yes—and Jamie’s proposal was shown on CBS and made ESPN’s “Top 100 Plays of the Year.” In February 2007, the Meadowses had twins, Eva Marie and William Lee.
’05, French. Gray lives in Knoxville and is working on a master’s degree in education at UT and Lincoln Memorial University. He plans to teach French and physical education at the high-school level. Gray was Smokey from 2000 to 2004, and he was the Volunteer–Davy Crockett mascot in 2005. Gray continues to work with the UT Spirit Office and is the national mascot director for the Universal Cheerleading Association.
“I train mascot instructors how to run camps and how to instruct younger kids how to be mascots.” He also coaches college mascots. “It’s like a mascot boot camp,” he said. He teaches how to walk like the character, establish a personality for the character, and interact with crowds.
Favorite Smokey moment: “Winning the UCA National Championship my freshman year [with Jason Vicars and Jamie Meadows].” Part of the competition involved the Smokey team coming up with a skit. Since it was the year of the chaotic U.S. presidential election, they did a skit about “hanging chads” that proved Smokey should have been elected.
’05, speech communications, minor in broadcasting. He was Smokey from 2001 to 2005. A Knoxville native, Lay now lives in New York City where he is an actor–comedian waiting for his big break. He is a production assistant for VH1 and works for the show Best Week Ever. There’s more about him at http://www.joshlay.com/page/Main.
Favorite Smokey moment: “During the 2004–2005 football season, we were playing Auburn at Neyland Stadium. The ESPN GameDay crew was covering the event. The crowd was stoked, and the crew was ready to pick who they thought would win the game. Finally the time came for Lee Corso to crown himself with the head of that school’s mascot. I had a feeling he was going to pick Auburn, and he did. When he did, I ran onto the stage to show the fans that no one comes to our house and disrespects us. Lee was yelling at me to ‘get off the set’ and a production assistant was pulling at my leg. We ended up losing that game. Auburn went on to be undefeated. But the message was clear: ‘Do not come to Tennessee’s house and taunt our fans. We are the best in the country, and we intend to stay that way. Go Vols!’ ”
Related categories: Athletics, Class of '90-'99, Class of '00-'09, UT Knoxville
Reader Comments
Posted by Billy Landers on 01/26/2008 at 11:47pm.
How in the world did you leave Allen Wayne Landers out of your Smokey list? Allen was Smokey for 1981-82-83. He was the first Smokey to attend all athletic events at UT including the first to attend all Ladyvol contests. You might also want to talk to Pat Summitt about him.
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Posted by Pam Haddix on 01/31/2008 at 10:30am.
Hey, not all Smokeys were guys! What about Linda Turner, I think around ‘78 or ‘79?
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Posted by Linda Turner Williams on 02/05/2008 at 1:46am.
I was Smokey 1979-1980, also the first female to to wear the costume for the entire season (one other served as Smokey for a few games before being pulled onto the cheer squad in the late 1960’s… she was Lindsey Nelson’s daughter). I believe that there has only been one other female Smokey, in the late 1980’s. I actually started late in the 1978-79 hoops season, my first game was UT-UK (which we won) and the team went on to win the first modern day SEC Championship. I was called out of “retirement” in March of 1981 to accompany the Lady Vols basketball team to the AIAW National Championship in Eugene, Oregon. Like Landers, I attended all events at UT, both men’s and women’s. I was also the first of a line of Smokeys to be graduates of Halls High School in Knoxville. The biggest irony is that my four year old daughter is terrified of all mascots. GO VOLS!
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Posted by Rob Karpick on 02/06/2008 at 12:33pm.
Mike Kennedy was a great Smokey in the late 80’s. He went on to become “Sourdough Sam” for the San Francisco 49er’s and star in his own childrens show!
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Posted by Chris Broyles on 02/06/2008 at 3:14pm.
Mike Kennedy was indeed a great Smokey! He preceded me (’90-’93), and was definitely my mentor before I put the suit on for football and basketball, and he is a good friend and was mentor to former Lady Vols Smokey Tim Patnode as well, ...Mike was the first to make the alternative costumes for Smokey (esp. the orange suit-- it inspired my having the orange Tux made, as well as other costumes), and famously slid down the stairs at Thompson-Boling on the plastic sled—good times, good times!
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Posted by Tommy on 02/08/2008 at 5:39pm.
how about all the smokey’s for the lady vols...show some love. For God’s sake we had to slide down the stairs when it was still allowed!
Lady Vol Smokey 98
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Posted by Alison on 02/09/2008 at 5:55pm.
What about Adam Wade?! How could you leave him out. He was Smokey from 02-06. He is currently working for the NHL as a mascot. He is Howler for the Phoenix Coyotes. That is a huge accomplishment that should not go unrecognized. And what about Kera Sewell?
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Posted by Nancy Nelson Wyszynski on 02/10/2008 at 12:39pm.
Linda is correct. I was the first female Smokey in 1973. Midway through basketball season I moved to the cheer squad. At that time Smokey was coached by the gymnastics instructor. My predisessor was a terrific gymnist. A new suit had to be made for me. About a week before our first football game the person who was to make the uniform just gave all the supplies back to us and said she couldn’t finish it. I hauled out my “Singer Touch-and-Sew” and finished it on the 3rd floor of Andy Holt. That “Smokey” featured orange fuzzy fabric and lots of black “brick-a-brack” around the eyes. I would love to wear the new fabulous uniforms of today. We need a reunion!
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Posted by Malinda Wood on 02/12/2008 at 11:48am.
You go, Linda! You rocked as Smokey (as did Allan Landers!)
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Posted by Butch Sewell on 02/12/2008 at 2:55pm.
My daughter, Kera Sewell, wore the suit of Junior Smokey and Smokey for four years at UT beginning in 2002. Her freshman year as Junior Smokey was spent under the direction of Benji Gray and Josh Lay as her mentors, but she held her own in what many would consider a man’s field. She also had the opportunity to work with Adam Devault as one of her advisors during camps each year. The job of Smokey has become a team effort over the years - you need more than one to accomplish all of the requirements of the job. Her last appearance as Smokey was at the Women’s National Softball Championship in Kansas City, KS. Being a parent of the famous dog has had its bragging rights and has had its highlights, especially for her, but knowing that she didn’t mind the heat or the “infamous stink” or the disbelief from others that a girl was in the “suit”, along with the glory of running through the “T”, she was doing something that she loves - caring on the tradition of being A VOL - even if seen through the eyes of a dog! We love the BIG ORANGE and especially hold a special spot for the UT Spirit Office and the fellow athletes that have served as Smokey!
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Posted by Kera on 02/12/2008 at 4:13pm.
Sorry, my dad gets excited - the World Series was in Oklahoma City. Congratulations to this year’s mascot team for their National Championship win! Logan Durham, I still owe you dinner.
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Posted by Brandy on 02/15/2008 at 3:32am.
I agree with Tommy......show the Lady Vols some love. I am one of the few females that have had the honor of being Smokey. I performed for the Lady Vols from 99-01. I was around when the back-to-back National Championships were won. I consider it a privilege to have been able to work with guys like Adam, Andrew, Jason, Benji, Jamie, and Josh. They are all great mascots. I am just curious as to why Bobby George has never been brought up. He became the mascot for the Utah WNBA team. I had a blast being able to work with some of UT’s best! I treasure the memories and wish them all the best. And Tommy thanks for being the best big brother that a mascot could ask for
. GO VOLS!
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Posted by Knox (UTK '79) on 02/16/2008 at 12:06pm.
It’s nice to here of and from some of the folks who performed as Smokey. I note with pleasure and pride that over the years, Smokey has been a consistently admirable representative of the university. My thanks to all of the students who have performed as Smokey. You’ve embodied the best qualities of being a college sports fan. May your lives continue to be as rewarding as your service as Smokey.
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Posted by Nick on 02/18/2008 at 11:42am.
Yes I agree...Let’s hear about some of the Smokey’s for the Lady Vols!!!!! My college roommate was Smokey throughout his college career for the Lady Vols. He took so many bumps and bruises sliding down the steps at Thompson Boiling it was ridiculous!!!!
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Posted by Sue Smith on 03/21/2008 at 10:23pm.
What year was did the first costumed Smokey perform at a football game?
I remember when the Tennessee walking horse rode around the field…
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Posted by Jessyka Hall on 03/24/2008 at 10:58am.
Being a mascot was one of the greatest things ever!!! Who can forget that smell!!! I suited with Tommy and Brandy with the Lady Vols 98-02. Getting to travel was the best part… I have a suggestion though-why not let the Lady Vols Smokey be Ms Smokey.. they could appear together! I think that would be awesome! Bobby George did great as “Smokiqua” hahaaaa.. who can forget that!! and the blow up smokey at lady vols games.. that was great
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