The Tennessee athletic department Friday night announced that Peyton Manning, a former Volunteers quarterback and future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, contributed a $3 million "leadership commitment" (donation) to the school that will "benefit both the Tennessee football program and the Peyton Manning Scholarship Endowment."
Manning's latest donation was made in the name of two long-time Vols staffers in Gus Manning (not related) and Carmen Tegano. As such, Gate 16 of Neyland Stadium will be named the "Gus Manning Gate," while a new athletic residence hall will bear the Tegano name on its attached dining hall.
"Gus and Carmen both personify what it means to be a Vol for Life, and both have made the University of Tennessee a better place," said Manning in a release from the school. "No one has served Tennessee and its athletics program better than Gus, and Carmen has also served this University with tremendous distinction.
"We have been fortunate to maintain a close friendship with Gus, Carmen, and Debbie Tegano since I left UT, and our sincere hope is that the decision to honor them in this way is reflective of the positive impact they continue to have on this great University."
The money not used for the football team will go to Manning's scholarship, a four-year grant awarded annually since 1998. But Manning's contributions have extended far and wide for the Vols since he left the program and became a star in the NFL.
A massive donation made to help renovate Neyland Stadium drastically improved Tennessee's locker room, which now bears his name. Manning, a so-named "Vol for Life," has also contributed to other athletic facilities and the school's College of Communications (he holds a bachelor of arts in speech communications).
A 14-time Pro Bowler and five-time Most Valuable Player who led the Indianapolis Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI, Manning was the Vols' second No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft (George Cafego, 1940).
He shockingly chose Tennessee over Ole Miss -- his father's alma mater and where his brother Eli Manning eventually played -- and saw tremendous success in Knoxville, going 39-6 as a starter while becoming the school's all-time leading passer (11,201 yards, 89 touchdowns).
