University of Tennessee Athletics
2002 Peyton Manning Scholarship Award Winner Announced
June 20, 2002 | Football
June 20, 2002
Rachel Lauren Matthews, a
graduate of Knoxville's Carter High School, has been named the 2002 recipient
of the Peyton Manning Scholarship, awarded annually since 1998 to a first-year
student who will participate in UT's Honors Program. Michelle Blackwell, representing
Dr. Tom Broadhead, Director of the UT Honors Program, and Peyton Manning made
the presentation in ceremonies at the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center in
front of the "Peyton Manning Study Area."
"I was proud to begin
the Peyton Manning Scholarship five years ago," Manning said. "All
of the recipients have been first-class people and I have met all of them. That's
something I've taken a lot of pride in. I don't like to put my name
on something and not be a part of it. I appreciate Rachel and her family and
friends being here today. Her credentials are impressive and she is a good person
as well. She'll help make this University a better place." "I heard the news
in the library at school," Matthews said, "when my guidance counselor
told me I was a Peyton Manning Scholar. I celebrated right there and everybody
looked at me like I was crazy. How could I not know about Peyton? I wasn't
a huge football fan then, but I will be now. I watched a documentary on Peyton
the other day and have a great deal of respect for him as a dedicated athlete
and as a human being." Matthews was captain of
the Scholars Bowl team, head attorney on the Mock Trial team, editor of the
yearbook and a mentor to Carter underclassmen. She was also secretary of the
Student Government Association and treasurer of the Key Club. She was also an
intern at Knox County Juvenile Court. She has held numerous leadership positions
at Arlington Baptist Church. She is the daughter of Mack and Paula Hickey of
Knoxville and Don Matthews, also of Knoxville. The scholarship is funded
from gifts to the University garnered from Manning's academic awards, the UT
Athletic Department's corporate matching grants program and other private gifts.
Manning's four-year career at UT (1994-97) produced a number of awards that
generated $165,000 in scholarship funds. Among the awards were the Burger King-Vincent
dePaul Draddy National Scholar Athlete of the Year, the Davey O'Brien Foundation
Award and the American Honda Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The Manning Scholarship
covers the costs of tuition, room and board. The award is granted to a first-year
student on the basis of academic achievement, leadership and community service. Previous winners
of the Peyton Manning Scholarship were: Kimberly Anne Campbell
(2001) Hampton Andrew Holcomb,
Jr. (2000) Rebekah Ann Capps
(1999) Jay Stephen Burns
(1998)
Union City High School
Union City
Evangelical Christian School
Memphis
Christ Presbyterian Academy
Nashville
Greeneville High School
Bulls Gap
(Graduated University of Tennessee Spring 2002 as No. 1 graduate
of the College of Arts and Sciences (4.0 GPA))
