[3][4][5] It is sometimes suggested that Martin did so in fulfilment of a promise to his daughter Victoria, who died at the age of twenty.

[4] In July 2021, the campus was purchased by the University of Tennessee System and was converted to a public four-year institution.

The Firehawks had previously competed as members of the SSAC on its first tenure from 2013–14 to 2019–20, until briefly joining the Mid-South Conference (MSC) from 2020–21 to 2022–23.

UT Southern competes in 19 intercollegiate varsity teams:[8] Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Former sports included men's and women's bowling Athletic teams at UT Southern have won 12[9] national championships: List of colleges and universities in Tennessee