Did Peyton Manning play college baseball? Exploring The Sherrif's playing career at Tennessee
Peyton Manning is regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks to have graced the NFL. The two-time Super Bowl winner graduated from Tennessee and was at Charles Schwab Stadium on Monday to watch his alma mater win its first World Series title.
The Vols beat Texas A&M 6-5 in Game 3 of the CWS finals, and Manning later got onto the field to celebrate with the players. Since the NFL legend joined in the program's historic baseball celebrations, some were keen to know whether Manning also played baseball, along with football during his college days.
Did Peyton Manning play college baseball at Tennessee?
Despite being an ardent Vols baseball team fan, Peyton Manning didn't play college baseball at Tennessee.
Manning spent four years at Tennessee and honed his football skills as a quarterback from 1994 to 1997. He went on to win multiple college honors, including the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, James E. Sullivan Award and William V. Campbell Trophy in his final year at the program.
During his time at Tennessee, Manning completed 863 of 1,381 passes for 11,201 yards with 89 touchdowns. He also rushed for 12 touchdowns.
Manning went on to have an iconic NFL career in the NFL, playing in the big league for 18 seasons. The quarterback won the Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007 and the Denver Broncos in 2016.
Although Manning never won a national football title for Tennessee, he was overjoyed when the program won its first baseball national title on Monday. Notably, the 2024 CWS title was the first major men's sports title the Vols won since 1998.
Manning spoke to reporters after Monday's CWS final game and said that the Vols will add to their tally of championships.
"It's awesome," Manning said. "And hey, this is not the last. I mean, we're coming. ... All our sports are coming. And this is just the first, I'm telling you."
Under coach Tony Vitello, Tennessee will aim to build on its monumental achievement in the coming years.