DENVER — Peyton Manning announced Wednesday through his PeyBack Foundation that he and his wife, Ashley, will endow a scholarship at Georgia Tech in memory of former Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas.

Thomas died in December at 33. He played nine seasons with the Broncos, including four (2012-15) with Manning, helping Denver win Super Bowl 50. Prior to being drafted by the Broncos, Thomas played three seasons (2007-09) at Georgia Tech, where he finished fourth all-time in receiving yards at the school.

“Demaryius Thomas was an incredibly talented and unselfish teammate, but more importantly, he was a special person and friend,” Manning said in a statement. “My family and I miss him dearly, and we wanted to honor D.T.’s memory by partnering the PeyBack Foundation with Georgia Tech to establish the Demaryius A. Thomas Scholarship Endowment.

“An important part of Demaryius’ legacy was the way he inspired the next generation to pursue their dreams with the same perseverance and determination that defined him. Through this scholarship to Georgia Tech, Demaryius will have a lasting impact on deserving youth from his hometown area who can follow in his footsteps and accomplish great things in life.”

According to a news release from Georgia Tech’s athletic department, the scholarship “will endow academic scholarships to attend Georgia Tech for incoming freshmen students from Laurens County, Ga., where Thomas was born and raised, or surrounding areas who demonstrate significant financial need.”

Georgia Tech also announced that it will celebrate an annual “Demaryius Thomas Day” on Aug. 8, which will honor his uniform numbers he wore at Georgia Tech (8) and in Denver (88). Georgia Tech will also select one or multiple players to where No. 8 that season in honor of Thomas.

“We are grateful to Peyton and Ashley Manning and the PeyBack Foundation for establishing the Demaryius Thomas Scholarship,” Georgia Tech director of athletics Todd Stansbury said in a statement. “Thanks to their generous contribution, Demaryius’ legacy will be carried on through Georgia Tech students from Laurens County and surrounding areas for years to come and his memory will be celebrated each year during our 8/8 Day recognitions.”