Manning, who earned All-America honors during his 1994-97 Tennessee career, makes it 26 former UT football players in the last 16 Super Bowls.
In addition, Bears head coach Lovie Smith becomes the second former member of the Tennessee football coaching staff to lead a team to the Super Bowl in the last five years.
Smith coached defensive backs at UT during the 1993 and 1994 seasons under Phillip Fulmer. Another former UT coaching staff member, Tampa Bay's Jon Gruden, was a football graduate assistant for the Vols in 1986 and 1987. Gruden's Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003 by a 48-21 margin over Oakland.
On the player front, not since the New York Giants' 20-19 win over Buffalo in 1991 has a Super Bowl been contested without a former Vols footballer on either team's roster.
In all, 44 former Vols have played in the Super Bowl - Manning makes it 45 - dating to tight end Bill Anderson's appearance for the Green Bay Packers in the very first Super Bowl in 1967.
VOLS IN THE SUPER BOWL
TE Bill Anderson, 1967 Green Bay Packers
DB Richmond Flowers, 1971 Dallas Cowboys
LB Steve Kiner, 1971 Dallas Cowboys
P Ron Widby, 1971 & 1972 Dallas Cowboys
DB Bob Petrella, 1972 Miami Dolphins
P Neil Clabo, 1977 Minnesota Vikings
P Craig Colquitt, 1979 & 1980 Pittsburgh Steelers
DB Eddie Brown, 1980 Los Angeles Rams
LB Jack Reynolds, 1980 Los Angeles Rams, 1982 & 1985 San Francisco 49ers
OT Mickey Marvin, 1981 & 1984 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
LB Craig Puki, 1982 San Francisco 49ers
WR Willie Gault, 1986 Chicago Bears
DE Brian Ingram, 1986 New England Patriots
DB Roland James, 1986 New England Patriots
WR Stanley Morgan, 1986 New England Patriots
OG Raleigh McKenzie, 1988 & 1992 Washington Redskins
OG David Douglas, 1989 Cincinnati Bengals
WR Tim McGee, 1989 Cincinnati Bengals
LB Carl Zander, 1989 Cincinnati Bengals
LB Keith DeLong, 1990 San Francisco 49ers
WR Alvin Harper, 1993 & 1994 Dallas Cowboys
DB Bill Bates, 1993, 1994 & 1996 Dallas Cowboys
DE Chris Mims, 1995 San Diego Chargers
WR Cory Fleming, 1996 Dallas Cowboys
DT Reggie White, 1997 & 1998 Green Bay Packers
RB Aaron Hayden, 1998 Green Bay Packers
WR Marcus Nash, 1999 Denver Broncos
LB Chuck Smith, 1999 Atlanta Falcons
LB Ben Talley, 1999, Atlanta Falcons
C Trey Teague, 1999 Denver Broncos (injured)
WR Joey Kent, 2000 Tennessee Titans
OT Jason Layman, 2000 Tennessee Titans
LB Leonard Little, 2000 & 2002 St. Louis Rams
RB Jamal Lewis, 2001 Baltimore Ravens
WR Marcus Nash, 2001 Baltimore Ravens
DB Dave Thomas, 2001 New York Giants
OG Cosey Coleman, 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB Charlie Garner, 2003 Oakland Raiders
RB Travis Stephens, 2003 Tampa Bay Bucs (injured)
DT Shane Burton, 2004 Carolina Panthers
DB Deon Grant, 2004 Carolina Panthers
DT Darwin Walker, 2005 Philadelphia Eagles
WR Cedrick Wilson, 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers
QB Peyton Manning, 2007 Indianapolis Colts