Beloved SEC College Football Mascot Has Been Diagnosed With Cancer

SEC football game (Photo Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

The Tennessee Volunteers are in mourning this week after tough news regarding their mascot.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s cherished retired live mascot, Smokey X, has been diagnosed with cancer.

The nearly 14-year-old Bluetick Coonhound, who made his debut as a loyal ambassador for the Vols in the 2013 football season, had a biannual appointment, and the routine diagnostic imaging found an unfortunate mass on its kidney.

The veterinarian was able to reveal it was renal carcinoma, better known as cancer of the kidney.

The Tennessee Volunteers wrote a statement that, “In true Smokey fashion, he demonstrated his unwavering loyalty to the Vols even during his CT scan,” the university said.

“As he emerged from anesthesia to the notes of ‘Rocky Top,’ Smokey rose to his feet, a testament to his indomitable spirit and love for the Volunteers.”

The oncology service at the university’s veterinary college plans to develop a comprehensive palliative care plan for Smokey X, providing pain relief and comfort following diagnosis.

There is no way of knowing how much time Tennessee’s beloved ambassador has left.

Tennessee Volunteers Football Can Play Hard For Their Beloved Mascot

Nov 9, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey XI runs through the end zone after running through the T before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Saul Young/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Smokey X, Tennessee’s retired mascot, has been diagnosed with cancer, the university announced.

Smokey X served as Tennessee’s mascot from 2013 until 2023. Smokey X will now return home and continue to interact with his two boys.

In the meantime, the Tennessee Volunteers football team can play hard for their beloved mascot and eventually in his memory once the cancer takes hold of him.

As of now, the team is 6-2 and coming off a 56-34 beatdown of Kentucky.

Having dogs or animals as mascots is a theme across college sports. It’s not one that PETA likes as much.

Last year, the University of Georgia’s retired bulldog mascot died in its sleep, and PETA responded by calling the university “irresponsible for promoting unhealthy, breathing-impaired, flat-faced breeds like English Bulldogs.”

Beloved SEC College Football Mascot Has Been Diagnosed With Cancer
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