Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton will return to Eastern Illinois, his alma mater, for an event featuring four EIU football legends on Saturday.
“Eastern Illinois asked Mike Shanahan, who played there in the ’70s, myself who played there in the ’80s, Tony Romo who played there in the ’90s, and Jimmy Garoppolo in the 2000s,” Payton said last week. “They’re trying to organize kind of a kickoff fundraiser weekend. The four of us are all on board.”
The event has sold out, but the school is still taking names on a waitlist in case of cancelations (details here). This is the event’s bio for Payton:
Sean Payton was the pilot on the Eastern Airlines offense of the mid-1980’s that led the Panthers to the FCS playoff quarterfinals. He would set nearly every EIU passing record during his time under center for the Panthers earning second team All-America honors. Following a professional career as a player, he made his name as a brilliant offensive mind as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Payton would lead the franchise to a resurgence following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina with his success and philanthropic giving earning him the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. The Saints had great success under Payton’s leadership including winning their lone Super Bowl. He currently is in his second season as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Payton will return to Colorado next week for the third and final week of organized team activities (June 3-6). The team will hold a mandatory minicamp the following week (June 11-13) before a summer break.
