University of Tennessee Athletics
Big Night for Tennessee at the ESPY'S
July 13, 2016 | General
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Tennessee took center stage at the ESPY's on Wednesday evening as Pat Summitt, Peyton Manning, Eric Berry and Knoxville native Zaevion Dobson were honored at the awards show at the Microsoft Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles.
Pat Summitt
International Tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King honored Pat Summitt with a stirring speech saying, "It's what she did for basketball, sports & all of us that was most important." Summitt passed away on June 28 at the age of 64. She served as head coach of the Lady Vols for 38 years and recorded a record of 1,098-208 (.840), the most of any coach in NCAA Division I women's or men's basketball history. During her illustrious career, Summitt's teams made a record-setting 31-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, winning eight NCAA National Championships and finishing second five times while playing in 22 NCAA or AIAW Final Fours. UT recorded the very first three-peat in NCAA Division I women's basketball, seizing national titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998, with the third of those squads cruising to a school-best 39-0 record. She also guided the Big Orange to 16 SEC regular-season titles and 16 SEC Tournament championships.
A Celebration of Life service for Summitt will take place at 7 p.m. ET on July 14 at the University of Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena. The public is invited, and admission is free.
Peyton Manning
Tennessee legend Peyton Manning was honored with the Icon Award alongside Abby Wambach and Kobe Bryant. All three announced their retirement in the past year and gave a collective speach to the crowd of celebrities and athletes.
Manning led the Denver Broncos to a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, Manning earned his 200th career win (regular season and postseason included) to become the first player to reach that milestone. He is also the only quarterback in NFL history to have led two different franchises (he won Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts) to Super Bowl Championships. Manning retired as the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards (71,940), passing touchdowns (539), game-winning drives (56), fourth-quarter comebacks (45) and regular-season wins (186, tied with Brett Favre). He was also a five-time NFL MVP (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013) and a 14-time Pro Bowl selection. Manning is the Vols' all-time leader in passing yards (11,201), wins by a quarterback (39), 300-yard games (18), passing touchdowns (89), pass attempts (1,381) and pass completions (863).
Eric Berry
Berry earned the ESPY for Comeback of the Year after making an inspiring return to football after defeating cancer. Berry posted 61 tackles (55 solo), two interceptions and 10 passes defended during the 2015 regular season. Berry was also named NFL Comeback Player of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America. The Kansas City Chiefs safety was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in late 2014, but battled back to lead his team to an 11-5 regular-season record this season and the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Berry was the Chiefs' nominee for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and won the Charity Challenge and a $20,000 donation to the charity of his choice, courtesy of Nationwide. He was also named Kansas City's 2015 Ed Block Courage Award recipient.
Zaevion Dobson
Knoxville native Zaevion Dobson was honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Dobson was murdered on December 17th, 2015 as the 15-year-old shielded two girls from gunfire.
