Peyton Manning to speak at Middle Tennessee awards event

Peyton Manning will be the guest speaker at The Tennessean's inaugural Middle Tennessee Sports Awards presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans.

The event, which will be May 26 at Music City Center, will honor more than 200 high school athletes and coaches from Middle Tennessee.

The Tennessean's high school athletes of the year will be announced at the dinner. Other awards will be given to The Tennessean's top athletes in each high school sport. Middle Tennessee's top coaches will be honored as well as the top athlete from every high school in the region.

"We are thrilled to have Peyton involved in this inaugural event,” said Laura Hollingsworth, The Tennessean’s president and publisher.  "He’s a role model on and off the field for today’s youth, and of course, very connected to Tennessee.  It’s going to be a great night celebrating the successes of our community’s high school athletes and coaches.”

Manning has been named the NFL's Most Valuable Player five times. He's played in the NFL for 17 seasons, the first 14 with the Indianapolis Colts and the last three with the Denver Broncos. He was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLI when he led the Colts to a 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears. A 14-time All-Pro, Manning holds many NFL single-season and career passing records.

The Colts made him the first overall pick in the 1998 draft after his stellar career at Tennessee, where he  led the Vols to the SEC championship his senior season.

Farm Bureau Health Plans is the presenting sponsor of the event.

"We know our student-athletes work hard and so do their parents, guardians, teachers and coaches," said Farm Bureau Health Plans CEO Anthony Kimbrough. "We want to show our support of these athletes and celebrate their accomplishments as they are the future of our local communities."

Xfinity and Sleep Outfitters are title sponsors.

“We are thrilled to be part of The Tennessean's Middle Tennessee Sports Awards and recognizing these student-athletes,” said Alex Horwitz, Vice President of Public Relations for Comcast. “We are proud to serve the families of the greater Nashville area and excited to promote these athletes, their families, their coaches and all their outstanding accomplishments.”

"At Sleep Outfitters, we’re proud to support our local communities and student-athletes," said founder and CEO Kimberly Knopf. "As a former high school basketball player, I know the importance of discipline and practice to building an effective team. We also know that in order to play like a champion, you have to sleep like a champion."

Bridgestone Americas will also be a sponsor of the event.

The honored athletes and their guest will be admitted free to the event. There will be 200 tickets available for sale to the public. The cost will be $60. The public may pre-register for the event at MTSA.Tennessean.com. Patrons are encouraged to register early to receive first notification when tickets go on sale.

Reach Dave Ammenheuser at 615-259-8352 and on Twitter @NashSportsEd.