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Tennessee Football: Peyton Manning to be honored during rivalry game

By Shannon Sickmon

TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 24: Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos looks on during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 24, 2015 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 24: Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos looks on during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 24, 2015 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee football will be honoring Peyton Manning at halftime of the Georgia rivalry game this fall.

On Sept. 3, longtime SEC East rivals Tennessee and Georgia will play at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. That same night, the Vols will honor their favorite son, former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, in an “On Campus Salute”.

Manning will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December. He was Tennessee’s all-time pass leader with an impressive 11,201 career yards and he also amassed 89 career touchdowns and won 39 out of 45 games as a starter. He broke the SEC record for career wins and was named MVP in several key matchups.

Moreover, Manning won almost every award in college football his senior year, including the Maxwell Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, the Johnny Unitas award and was a first team All-American. He was also a great student — he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in speech communications in only three years.

Last year, Manning was honored with a spot in the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame. In addition, one of the streets en route to Neyland Stadium has been hilariously dubbed “Peyton Manning Pass”.

In a statement to the Knoxville News Sentinel, National Football Foundation President and CEO Steven J. Hatchell said of him, “Peyton Manning’s college football accomplishments clearly rank him among the greatest of all-time. And his record on the field, in the classroom and as a leader in the community unquestionably makes him a powerful ambassador for our game.”

Tennessee AD John Currie added to the praise, saying, “Peyton is one of this university and athletic program’s finest ambassadors. Honoring him at our Georgia game this fall provides our fans with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate not only his induction into the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame but also the incredible impact he continues to make across Big Orange Nation. The fact that he has asked all of our living Hall of Famers to share in this moment is very special and illustrates why he is so admired and revered amongst the Tennessee faithful.”

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As per his request, Manning will step on the field at halftime with all of Tennessee’s living Hall of Fame inductees. So Volunteer fans will get to cheer on Doug Dickey, Frank Emanuel, Phillip Fulmer, Bob Johnson, Chip Kell, Steve Kiner, Johnny Majors and John Michels. Should be a great night for Vols fans.

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