OMAHA, Neb. — The most famous supporter of University of Tennessee athletics was all smiles Monday night after the Volunteers held off Texas A&M 6-5 to win their first national championship in college baseball.
Peyton Manning, the only player to be named MVP of the National Football League on five occasions, watched Monday’s title showdown in a Charles Schwab Stadium Omaha luxury suite along with Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel, Vols basketball coach Rick Barnes and country music star Morgan Wallen.
(READ MORE: College World Series champion Vols parade through Knoxville)
Manning guided Tennessee to a 39-6 record from 1994-97, setting an NCAA mark for career victories by a quarterback at that time and finishing runner-up for the Heisman Trophy his senior year. But the rival Florida Gators annually prevented him from an opportunity to compete for the national championship.
Tennessee is college baseball’s most successful program since 2020, but Tony Vitello’s Vols had never reached the College World Series best-of-three championship series until this year. The Vols lost 9-5 to the Aggies on Saturday night before winning Sunday afternoon’s contest 4-1 to set up the deciding showdown.