Eli Manning

Football Player

• Born: January 3, 1981
• Place of Birth: New Orleans, Louisiana

SPORT: Football

Early Life

Eli Manning was born Elisha Nelson Manning on January 3, 1981, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Archie and Olivia Manning. The youngest of three boys, Eli and his brothers all exhibited athletic ability from a young age and particularly excelled at football. Their father, a football quarterback, had a successful career as a collegian at the University of Mississippi and as a professional in the National Football League (NFL) with the New Orleans Saints, the Houston Oilers, and the Minnesota Vikings. Manning's oldest brother Cooper was later diagnosed with a cognitive spinal disease and chose to retire from football rather than risk paralysis. His other brother, Peyton Manning, would go on to become regarded as one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, playing for the Indianapolis Colts (1998–2011) and the Denver Broncos (2012–15), winning a Super Bowl championship with both franchises, and earning a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When Manning was a child, his father traveled regularly. Cooper and Peyton dealt with their father’s absence, while Eli was more sensitive and spent a good deal of time with his mother. Many would attribute his ability to remain calm under pressure on the football field to the reassuring times with his mother. He excelled in baseball and basketball but was noticed for his football abilities above all else.

The Road to Excellence

Manning played for the prestigious Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, as did his brothers. While in high school, he started three seasons, throwing more than 7,000 yards (6,401 meters) and leading his school to a state championship with an 11–1 record. His performance caught the attention of scouts across the country, who began heavily courting him. While he considered his options, former University of Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe told him that he had become the head coach for the University of Mississippi. Cutcliffe had been instrumental in developing Peyton’s career, so he decided to attend his father’s alma mater. He enrolled in The University of Mississippi in 1999.

Manning sat out his first college season. During that semester, he was arrested for public drunkenness and possession of alcohol by a minor. Embarrassed by his mistakes, he returned to practice determined to prove himself and was eventually named the Rebels' starting quarterback in 2001. He surpassed expectations during his college career, compiling 10,119 passing yards, 81 touchdowns, and a passer rating of 137.7. Furthermore, in 2003, he led the Rebels to a 10–3 record and a victory in the Cotton Bowl. That year, he was third in the running for the Heisman Trophy. He set fifty-four team records and received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Maxwell Award, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete Award and many others.

In 2004, Manning graduated with a degree in marketing and a grade point average of 3.44. Because of his impressive college career, he became the number-one NFL draft pick.

The Emerging Champion

The San Diego Chargers held the first pick in the 2004 draft. However, Manning stated that he would not play for the team. San Diego selected Manning and traded him within hours to the New York Giants for fellow quarterback Phillip Rivers. He signed a six-year contract with the Giants for $74 million plus a $20 million signing bonus.

Manning began the 2004 season on the bench as Kurt Warner’s backup. However, he started the last seven games of the season, though he won only one. Warner voided his contract after 2004, and Manning became the official starting quarterback in 2005. In his second season, he fluctuated between moments of brilliance and monumental mistakes. He played with confidence and finished the season completing 294 of 557 passes for 3,762 yards, helping the team finish with the season with an 11–5 record. He scored 24 touchdowns, 18 more than in his rookie year, but also threw 17 interceptions. Eli’s demonstrated similar numbers in his third year. In both seasons, he started strong and finished tired. In 2006, the team made the playoffs as a wild card but lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Continuing the Story

By 2007, Manning had become comfortable with his role and showed more confidence in his skills and those of his teammates. Despite suffering through injuries, the Giants finished strongly with a 10–6 record. In the 2007 playoffs, the Giants beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Green Bay Packers, securing them a trip to the championship game. The Giants played the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, New York’s first Super Bowl since 2000.

The New England Patriots entered the 2008 Super Bowl game undefeated and heavily favored to win. However, Manning threw two go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdowns, sealing a 17–14 victory over the Patriots. For his stellar performance, he was named the most valuable player (MVP) of Super Bowl XLII.

Many observers considered the Giants’ 2008 Super Bowl victory something of a fluke, and few expected the Giants to be major contenders in the 2008 season. However, the Giants proved the doubters wrong after the new season started, and Manning had another strong passing year. He led the team to a 12–4 record, but the Giants were upset by the Eagles in their first playoff game. Despite the loss, Manning was chosen to play in the Pro Bowl game for the first time. While his team only managed an 8–8 record in the 2009 season, he set a new record for himself after passing for over four thousand yards over the course of those sixteen games.

Over the next two seasons, Manning continued to set personal records and ultimately lead his team back to the Super Bowl to face the Patriots once again in 2012. In a tight game that came down to the final minutes of play with the Giants trailing the Patriots, Manning helped move his team eighty-eight yards down the field with only seconds to spare, and Ahmad Bradshaw ran six yards to score the winning touchdown. With a 21–17 victory, Manning was once again named MVP of the Super Bowl; he also became the first quarterback to throw for over 4,900 yards in the same season in which his team won the title.

Manning had further success in terms of quarterback statistics over the next few seasons, but the period after their Super Bowl XLVI win proved disappointing for the Giants as a whole. Unable to overcome various team weaknesses, Manning was unable to lead the team to victory again as the franchise finished both the 2014 and 2015 seasons with a 6–10 record, the worst since he had become the starting quarterback. In the 2015 season, six of the team's ten losses came despite having been winning or tied with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter of the game. However, Manning did get to watch his brother Peyton make history when his Broncos upset the favored Carolina Panthers in 2016's Super Bowl 50. In interviews following the Super Bowl win, he and Peyton were forced to answer many questions from the media regarding any rivalry between the siblings, as Peyton had matched his younger brother with two Super Bowl rings. That same year, Manning was awarded the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which recognizes efforts both on the field and in the community.

Manning and the Giants returned to the playoffs after the 2016 regular season but lost the wildcard game to the Green Bay Packers. The team's performance declined once again over the next two seasons, ending with a 3–13 record in 2017 and a 5–11 record in 2018. Manning did remain fairly consistent; he threw for 3,468 yards and 19 touchdowns during the 2017 season and 4,299 yards and 21 touchdowns during the 2018 season. While Manning started the 2019 season strong—throwing for two touchdowns in the first two games of the season—he was replaced by 2019 first-round pick Daniel Jones as quarterback for the third game. Manning played only two more games, finishing the season with six passing touchdowns in four games.

In January 2020 Manning announced his retirement from the NFL. He ended his career with two Super Bowl rings, 5,7023 passing yards, and 366 passing touchdowns. The Giants later announced that they would retire Manning's number 10 jersey. In 2021, Manning took a non-playing role with the Giants franchise, working in fan engagement and business operations. That same year, he began working as an analyst for ESPN and launched an ESPN+ show about college football called "Eli's Place."

Manning married Abby McGrew in 2008. The couple went on to have four children together. In addition to, and often in connection with, his football career, Manning was frequently involved in philanthropic efforts. For example, after the Hurricane Katrina disaster in September 2005, he and his brother Peyton coordinated relief efforts to help those in need in their home state of Louisiana. He also donated to the children's medical clinic at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Summary

Although Eli Manning came from a prominent football family, his success on the field was due to his own determination and abilities, not to his name. He earned his place in the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame for his efforts, and he led the New York Giants to the Super Bowl championship—a feat the team had not accomplished since 1991. Manning and his brother Peyton not only became the first pair of brothers to quarterback Super Bowl teams but also the first brothers to be named Super Bowl MVPs. They accomplished the feat in consecutive years.

Bibliography

Christopher, Matt. On the Field with . . . Eli and Peyton Manning. Boston: Little, 2008. Print.

Coughlin, Tom, and Brian Curtis. A Team to Believe In: Our Journey to the Super Bowl Championship. New York: Ballantine, 2008. Print.

"Eli Manning." Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MannEl00.htm. Accessed 16 May. 2022.

Hudson, Hugh. Back-to-Back: Super Bowl Champions Peyton and Eli Manning—An Unauthorized Biography. New York: Price, 2008. Print.

Lopez, Isabelle. "Eli's Place Debuts Today, Exclusively on ESPN+." ESPN Press Room, 1 Sept. 2021, espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2021/09/elis-places-debuts-today-exclusively-on-espn/. Accessed 16 May. 2022.

Price, S. L. "The Big Easy." Sports Illustrated. Time, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.

Vacchiano, Ralph, and Ernie Accorsi. Eli Manning: The Making of a Quarterback: The Incredible Rise of the New York Giants. New York: Skyhorse, 2008. Print.