Celebrated football legend and renowned UT alumnus Peyton Manning will be delivering a speech on leadership on Friday, Sept. 22, in Cox Auditorium.
The event is a part of the Baker Center’s Distinguished Lecture Series. The series was created in 2012 to honor Tennessee Senator Howard Baker Jr. It has since attracted numerous, well-known speakers to campus.
According to Matt Murray, director of the Baker Center, the goal of this series is to host well-regarded people, typically influential members of the political realm. Bringing in Manning to speak is a slight departure from their usual guest lecturer docket.
Manning is a former American football quarterback who played college football for UT. He led the Vols to the 1997 SEC Championship against Auburn University during his senior year.
After graduating, Manning played 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts from 1998 to 2011, and was a member of the Denver Broncos for his last four seasons from 2012 to 2015.
“Peyton is admittedly a rather unique member of that group, but given his leadership role in playing football — both here at UT and in the pros — as a business person, and so on, I have to say I think Peyton appears to be a man of great character, of great poise. And I think people have tremendous respect for him,” Murray said.
According to Katie Cahill, associate director of the Baker Center, Manning has exemplified characteristics that align with Baker’s own example of leadership and of the Volunteer spirit.
“Of course, many people know about his success in professional football, but Mr. Manning has also been a true Volunteer,” Cahill said.
In 1999, Manning and his wife, Ashley Thompson, established an organization known as the PeyBack Foundation, which works to encourage the future success of disadvantaged youth by aiding programs that offer leadership and development opportunities for children who are at risk. Since its inception, the foundation has supplied over $13 million in grants and programs.
“I hope that students see the sharp contrast between the athlete, the comedy persona that we see sometimes on TV and the serious side of Peyton,” Murray said. “I think it’s a side of Peyton that people will really respect and really admire.”
Manning will be speaking in Cox Auditorium in the Alumni Memorial Building.
Both Cahill and Murray said that Cox Auditorium filled to capacity within 45 minutes of releasing the registration link. And although the arena has a larger audience capacity, Murray and Cahill expressed their hopes that the choice of venue will promote a more unique and individual opportunity for students to listen to Manning.
Along with previously registered students, there will be a significant number of academic advisors from across the campus in attendance whom Murray and Cahill hope will be able to share Manning’s lecture with others unable to attend the event.
Murray said that the upcoming session with Manning will actually be in more of an interview format, with Murray as the interviewer.
“We hope that students will be inspired by the conversation to lead their communities as Volunteers,” Cahill said. “We want students to leave the university and be dedicated to act with integrity, work collaboratively and remember to help others.”
