NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and his wife, Ashley, have announced the Demaryius A. Thomas Scholarship Endowment at Georgia Tech, the late receiver’s alma mater.
Thomas, a four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and Super Bowl 50 champion with the Denver Broncos, tragically died on December 9, 2021, at the age of 33.
The endowment fund will aid incoming freshmen from Laurens County, Georgia — Thomas’ home county.
Thomas, who is remembered as “a better person than a player” by Manning, amassed 9,763 receiving yards and 63 touchdowns throughout his 10 seasons in the NFL, which also included time with the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.
Manning and Thomas combined for 36 TDs with the Broncos, including 14 in 2013, when Manning won his fifth NFL MVP award after passing for 55 TDs and 5,477 yards for a total of 606 points — the NFL’s highest-scoring offense of all time.
Georgia Tech announced it will celebrate the life of Thomas annually on August 8, as he wore the No. 8 for the Yellow Jackets and No. 88 with the Broncos.
