Peyton Manning, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, has made an investment in historically black colleges and universities.
Through Manning’s Peyback Foundation, the now-retired NFL great, has reportedly endowed six scholarships at four HBCUs in Louisiana and others in Tennessee.
One of the scholarships was named in honor of former Grambling State quarterback Doug Williams.
Another was named after Harold Carmichael, a former Philadelphia Eagles receiver and Southern University standout.
Wilma Rudolph, the great Olympic sprinter who was the first woman to ever win three gold medals in the Olympics in 1960, was featured on an endowed scholarship for Tennessee State University.
Other endowed scholarships include:
• Fisk University for the late Dr. Reavis L. Mitchell Jr., a 40-year history professor who was frequently consulted on African American heritage and often cited in publications and documentaries.
• Xavier University of Louisiana for Dr. Norman Francis, the school’s president since 1968 who received a presidential medal of freedom in 2006 for his efforts planning the recovery and rebuilding of New Orleans and surrounding areas after Hurricane Katrina.
• Dillard University in New Orleans, for Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund since 2004 and a former university president.
