DENVER — Once again, Peyton Manning did not miss the connection with Demaryius Thomas.
Manning announced last year he and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame would start up an 18 to 88 scholarship grant of $10,000 that would go to a high school football senior who, like Thomas, overcame adversity in life. While the scholarship bears Manning’s No. 18, it was his teammate Thomas he wanted to honor with the No. 88.
And so Manning presented the scholarship to the very first recipient of the 18 to 88 scholarship, Ben Miner of Swink, on the same night Thomas was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame for his exploits as a Broncos receiver.
“Very fitting,’’ Manning said in an interview with 9NEWS a few minutes prior to the HOF banquet. “Wanted to keep D.T.’s legacy alive. He was always giving back, helping others. Started scholarship at Georgia Tech (Thomas’ alma mater) for kids who grew up in his area and I wanted to do something here in Denver.
“Wanted to give it to a high school football player who has overcome a lot in his life like Demaryius had. The first winner, Ben Miner, has had tremendous adversity in his life but he’s overcome it and is doing well. The grant is going to help him towards his college education. Demaryius would be very proud.”
Miner, who sat at the same dining table with Bobby Gene Thomas, Demaryius’ father, during the Hall of Fame banquet said he is attending Otero Junior College in La Junta where the $10,000 scholarship will cover his first two years of tuition. Miner was a tremendous 8-man football star at Swink and is likely to qualify for the state track meet in the long jump and triple jump.
He was selected from more than 20 applicants. His biological parents were drug addicts and he and his three younger sisters suffered from abuse and neglect. He credited his foster parents Mike and Pam Miner, who adopted Ben and his sisters just before his 8th birthday, for changing his life, adding structure, discipline and love. The Miners, Swink’s head football coach Dan Hiltz and Swink principal and athletic director Carol Vezzani accompanied Ben Miner for his big day.
“(The scholarship) is a blessing because Peyton and D.T. were not only teammates but they were friends,’’ Katina Smith, Demaryius’ mom, said in an interview on the 9NEWS 5 p.m. sportscast. “And the ‘18 to 88’ is another prestigious award that I love and will be a blessing to the (person) who gets it tonight and others in the future.”
Thomas died from complications of a seizure at his Roswell, Georgia home on Dec. 9, 2021 just a couple weeks shy of his 34th birthday. What does Manning think about when he thinks about his good friend?
“I try to think about the memories of not necessarily on the field and the great catches and touchdowns and runs but the locker room,’’ Manning said. “He always took time to pick up my kids after the game. Got a great picture of him holding my daughter Mosley. The most incredible picture is of him pushing Marshall around in the locker room in the laundry bucket after Super Bowl 50. Just more off-the-field moments and that great smile that he had that sticks with you. There’s no doubt it’s been tough. Demaryius passed away, Ronnie Hillman passed away so it’s been a tough couple years. Those guys are missed dearly.”
Also inducted Wednesday night into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame were former U.S. Olympic Committee administrator Evie Dennis, former Widefield High School, Northern Colorado and NFL receiver Vincent Jackson, 1964 U.S. bronze medal skier Jimmie Heuga and former Nuggets head coach George Karl.
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