Peyton Manning called his former teammate Demaryius Thomas a "special and unique guy," who was an "incredible player, dependable, accountable, tough, hard-working, and unselfish," following the wideout's death at the age of 33 in December of last year.
To further honor his friends legacy as an exceptional football player and even a better person, Manning, along with his wife Ashely will start a scholarship at Thomas' alma mater, named in his honor.
Manning’s foundation will team up with Georgia Tech to establish a scholarship endowment in his memory. The endowment will create academic scholarships for incoming freshmen that want to attend Georgia Tech and hail from Laurens County, Georgia, or surrounding areas, the same county Thomas was born and raised in.
“Demaryius Thomas was an incredibly talented and unselfish teammate, but more importantly, he was a special person and friend,” Manning said in a press release. “My family and I miss him dearly, and we wanted to honor DT’s memory by partnering the PeyBack 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 hometown area who can follow in his footsteps and accomplish great things in life.”
Thomas, who died on Dec. 9 at his home in Roswell, Georgia was a star for the Ramblin Wreck, accounting for over 1000 yards and eight touchdowns his junior season despite almost transferring out of the school once Paul Johnson implemented his triple-option offense.
The late All-Pro receiver decided to leave school early and was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 22nd overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Thomas spent nine seasons with the team, including all of Manning's seasons in Denver. He finished his career as the Broncos' second-leading receiver (9,055 yards), behind only Rod Smith, and is third in franchise history in catches (655) behind Smith and Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe.
Outside of partnering with Manning and his foundation, the university also announced that Aug. 8 will be recognized as "Demaryius Thomas Day," in reference to the number Thomas wore at the school. The recipient of the scholarship will be recognized that day as well.
"We are grateful to Peyton and Ashley Manning and the PeyBack Foundation for establishing the Demaryius Thomas Scholarship,'' Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury said in a statement. "Thanks to their generous contribution, Demaryius' legacy will be carried on through Georgia Tech students from Laurens County and surrounding areas for years to come and his memory will be celebrated each year during our 8/8 Day recognitions.''
Thomas played 10 seasons in the league with the Broncos, Houston Texans and New York Jets, finishing his NFL career with 724 catches for 9,763 yards and 63 touchdowns.
Yellow Jacket players will also wear No. 8 decals during the 2022 College Football season.
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