Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and his wife announced Wednesday a student scholarship fund at Georgia Tech in memory of former Denver Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas.
Thomas, a NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver and a Super Bowl champion, was found dead in his home at the age of 33 in December 2021. (RELATED: Former NFL Star Demaryius Thomas Dies At The Age Of 33)
“Demaryius Thomas was an incredibly talented and unselfish teammate, but more importantly, he was a special person and friend,” Manning wrote on Instagram as he announced the memorial fund. “My family and I miss him dearly, and we wanted to honor D.T’s memory by partnering the PevBack Foundation with Georgia Tech to establish the Demaryius A. Thomas Scholarship Endowment.”
“An important part of Demaryius’ legacy was the way he inspired the next generation to pursue their dreams with the same perseverance and determination that defined him. Through this scholarship to Georgia Tech, Demaryius will have a lasting impact on deserving youth from his home-town area who can follow his footsteps,” he added.
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The endowment will provide full and partial scholarships to incoming freshman from the Laurens County, Georgia, area in financial need who have grade-point averages of 3.2 and up and demonstrated community service involvement, according to a release from Georgia Tech. Thomas was born in Laurens, County, Georgia.
During Thomas’s career at Georgia Tech from 2007-2009, he tallied in 15 touchdowns, over 120 pass catches and over 2,300 yards from scrimmage in total, according to Sports Reference.