CANTON — A pair of former University of Tennessee football stars are first-time candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Quarterback Peyton Manning and linebacker Jerod Mayo were on the ballot that was released Wednesday.
Manning and Mayo were among 14 players in their first year of eligibility.
Manning, who won Super Bowl championships with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, led the Vols to the 1997 Southeastern Conference title.
In the NFL, Manning was a five-time Most Valuable Player, a 14-time Pro Bowler, seven-time First-Team All-Pro, a three-time Second-Team All-Pro, a Super Bowl MVP and a two-time Offensive Player of the Year.
Manning was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft by the Colts. He retired from the NFL as one of the league’s most decorated players.
Mayo, a linebacker and team captain during his playing days with the New England Patriots, was a Super Bowl champion (XLIX), a two-time Pro Bowler and a First-Team All-Pro in 2010.
He was a First-Team All-SEC standout in 2007 and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2008.
Mayo was a first-round pick by the Patriots in 2008, going with the No. 10 overall selection.