On October 20th, 2022, USL League One announced One Knoxville SC as its newest club, and joining the very next season, only six months away.
One Knox was founded just two years before, and played its inaugural 2022 season in USL League Two. While they always intended to join USL League One, the initial plans indicated the move would take a few more years.
“We’re starting at the bottom of the American soccer pyramid because we want Knoxville to be part of it from the ground up,” said managing partner Drew McKenna at the time.
So the October 2022 announcement was a surprise to fans around the league, with fellow 2023 expansion side Lexington SC having been announced a full year prior.
But the timing was right. FC Tucson had just announced its self-relegation to USL League Two in an effort to reorganize its finances and ownership. This left a USL League One slot open, and One Knox had the advantage of already fielding a successful team (11-1-2 record in USL2), with multiple players ready to make the jump, and had a stadium agreement with the University of Tennessee. They even had a supporter group, The Scruffs.
One Knox also had its branding ready to go.
Out of a Few Contradictions, One Name Emerged
Like many of the teams we’ve profiled, One Knox wanted community involvement. In 2021, the newly formed team put together a fan survey asking fans a few questions and prompts: where they found pride in Knoxville, a word or two description of Knoxville, what colors should represent the city, what about Knoxville could inspire the name and crest. They also asked for direct suggestions on the name.
The team received hundreds of replies, including some pretty off-the-wall name suggestions. According to McKenna, a few that were considered but didn’t make the cut included Knoxvilians, Knox Villa and Scruffy City, after one of the city’s nicknames. Of course, that one would go on to inspire the team’s main supporter group.
After a full review of the survey results, the finalists included Knoxville SC, One Knoxville, Knoxville Rovers, and Knoxville Ascent. But there was one answer in the description of Knoxville section of the survey that put One Knoxville over the edge next to the other finalists.
Knoxville: Emergent, Rooted
The reply that stood out was “emergent, rooted.” The juxtaposition of terms struck a chord with leadership, who then brainstormed other ways Knoxville showcases juxtaposition. Said McKenna during a media reveal of the One Knox name:
“Knoxville is urban, and Knoxville is wild. Knoxville is an exploding city with a small-town feel. Knoxville is Five Points and Knoxville is Bearden … Knoxville is unique. Knoxville is diverse. Knoxville is united. There’s only one Knoxville.”
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With this in mind, One Knoxville just made sense. Seemingly contradictory descriptors combine to become one accurate description of Knoxville.
After landing on One Knoxville, the team needed colors and a crest. They enlisted the help of renowned crest designer Matthew Wolff, who had a portfolio that included Chicago Fire, LAFC, Louisville City FC, New York City FC, Union Omaha and the national teams of France and Nigeria.
“Matt Wolff is a magician,” McKenna told us, “we were so lucky to work with him.”
In early Summer 2021, Wolff completed a tour of the area with team representatives, checking out a local hiking trail, the University of Tennessee, a boat ride on the Tennessee River and a tour of downtown and the Old City. From this, he was able to get a “feeling” for the region and the city from which to start his work.
By July, the team was ready to unveil the full branding.
One Knoxville SC: The Crest
Wolff employed six deliberate colors, each with a meaning connected to the Knoxville area. He lifted the colors directly from various landmarks and natural features of the region.
The first is at the top: Sunsphere Yellow, after the color of the iconic Sunsphere. The steel-truss structure, located in downtown Knoxville and the most recognizable piece of its skyline, is topped with a gold-colored glass sphere. The yellow in the crest represents the color of the glass panels when the sun hits them directly.
The second layer is Torch Orange, after the color of the flame in the Torchbearer Statue, located in Circle Park on the University of Tennessee Knoxville campus. The Torchbearer is the official symbol of the university, and is a symbol to represent a Volunteer, the name of UT’s athletic teams and the state’s symbolic name (the Volunteer State).
The third layer is Old City Brick, after the color of the historic buildings in the city’s Old City neighborhood.
The next level is Smoky Blue, after the Great Smoky Mountains surrounding the city.
Next is City Blue, after the reflection of the city and mountains from the top of the mirrored windows of the First Horizon Building.
The final layer, at the bottom, is River Blue, after the Tennessee River running through the city.
The O in KNOX is represented by a sunrise over the Smoky Mountains, located just east and southeast of town, and is the same color as the top layer, Sunsphere Yellow.
“It’s a sunrise all of us in Knoxville get to enjoy every morning,” said McKenna. He says the team and its fans view itself in a “sunrise moment, we’ve peaked over the horizon, but have so much ahead of us.”
According to McKenna, leaving the “SC” off of the crest was a deliberate decision.
“We are proud that the crest says ‘Knoxville’ more than it says ‘soccer’, he said, “we aspire to be a Club this city connects with and so wanted to make sure our Crest was one that felt familiar.”
Building a Supporter Culture Around the Crest
A representative from The Scruffs agreed with McKenna: “the elegance in how it represents East Tennessee is special,” said Tim Vacek, the group’s board chairperson.
“This town and this game mean a lot to us, and we consider it a privilege to be able to wear that badge on our shirts, display it on our cars, and wave in on our flags.”
The Scuffs came from a background of supporting European clubs, with only a small number following domestic clubs prior to the foundation of One Knox SC. The group was thrilled to “get in on the ground floor and help to build something new in our hometown,” said Vacek.
To The Scruffs, the quick ascent to USL League One was much less of a surprise than it was to the rest of the league. The League Two squad included multiple players who made the transition from the semi-professional level to USL League One, including fan-favorite James Thomas, who returns for his third season with the club this year.
Vacek said the one season in League Two was a “magical, grassroots season” that will stick with the fans always. The players “were proud to wear the shirt, fought for the badge, and wanted to be part of launching a special club,” and that “made it so easy for us to create a rowdy environment at our matches.”
Vacek has a One Knox SC flag hanging from the classroom ceiling in the high school at which he is a teacher. It’s the first thing his students see when they walk in.
“We all love the crest,” he said, “I know every Scruff has a similar story they could share.”
Moving Forward as One
We asked McKenna if any brand changes were on the horizon, and the answer was no.
“Matt Wolff’s work is so good, so we hope we don’t have any crest changes for a very long time,” he answered, “except for the occasional star addition.”
He did mention that the upcoming away kit, scheduled for a reveal on February 28th, is “the prettiest we’ve dropped so far.” The ticketed event, with proceeds benefitting TOPSoccer, will be held in the Sunshere, and is nearly sold out.
He also said the upcoming alternative kit is “a banger” and that details would be forthcoming.
2024 Season Preview
After working through some off-season drama and several key players moving on in free agency and loan, the team is looking forward to 2024. Despite the issue (which the team says has been addressed), they returned a large chunk of the 2023 core, especially on the defensive side.
The 2023 defense was one of the best in the league, allowing the second fewest goals in the regular season on the shoulders of Golden Glove winner (and returner) Sean Lewis, as well as defenders Jalen Crisler, Dani Fernandez, Sean O’Hearn, Jordan Skelton and James Thomas. This already solid defensive core will be boosted by newcomers DJ Benton (NCFC), Sivert Haugli (Moss FK), and Stuart Ritchie (Columbus Crew 2).
They’ll also bring in some notable offensive additions designed to improve on a lack of goal scoring in the inaugural professional season. Signings include Kingsford Adjei (Tormenta), Rich Ballard (Detroit City), Charlie Machell (Lexington), Innocent Nshuti (APR Kigali), and Kempes Tekiela (Union Titus Petange), all of whom should help boost the scoring chances this season.
One Knoxville SC will kick off its season at Charlotte Independence on March 16th, before returning home on March 23rd to face off in the first leg of the Battle of the Barrel against Lexington SC.
Want even more independent coverage of One Knoxville SC? Check out the Knox Soccer Podcast!