Peyton Manning

Football Player

• Born: March 24, 1976
• Place of Birth: New Orleans, Louisiana

SPORT: Football

Early Life

Peyton Williams Manning was born to Olivia and Archie Manning on March 24, 1976, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Peyton’s father had been a two-time all-American quarterback at the University of Mississippi and was picked second overall in the NFL by the New Orleans Saints in 1971. He played professionally for fourteen years, which undoubtedly had a huge influence on his three sons, Cooper, Peyton, and Eli Manning. The boys went to their father’s games, and Peyton listened to cassettes of radio broadcasts of Archie’s college games. However, Peyton was not allowed to play organized football until the seventh grade, since his father felt the game was too dangerous to play at a younger age.

The Road to Excellence

Manning was known as an intense athlete from the start. He practiced diligently, studied film, and set high expectations for himself. However, he did not emerge as a star until his sophomore year at Isidore Newman High School. In his three years as a starter, the team lost only five games. Manning threw for 82 touchdowns and more than 7,000 yards and was named the 1993 Gatorade national player of the year. Though it seemed like an obvious choice to follow in the footsteps of his father and older brother by going to the University of Mississippi, Manning chose the University of Tennessee.

Manning stayed for his senior season at Tennessee, though many speculated he would forgo his final season of eligibility. In college, Manning had a 39-6 record as a starting quarterback, set thirty-three school and eight Southeastern Conference records, and won numerous awards. However, he did not receive the Heisman Trophy, given to the nation’s top collegiate athlete. Manning set two National Collegiate Athletic Association records, for single-season and career interception percentages. He finished his college career with 89 touchdowns and 11,201 passing yards.

The Emerging Champion

In the 1998 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts chose Manning as the number-one overall pick. Indianapolis made its decision not only based on Manning’s athletic ability but also because of his mental toughness and leadership qualities. In Manning’s first play in his first preseason start with the Colts, he threw a 48-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Marvin Harrison, signifying the start of a memorable quarterback-wide receiver combination. Eventually, Manning and Harrison broke the NFL records for the most completions, yards, and touchdowns between a quarterback and wide receiver.

Though the Colts had a losing record, 3-13, during his rookie season, Manning set team and NFL rookie records in completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns, and consecutive games with touchdown passes. In 1999, the Colts finished 13-3, the biggest one-season improvement in NFL history. Though the team lost to the Tennessee Titans in the American Football Conference (AFC) divisional playoffs, Manning ended the season with 4,135 yards and 331 completions, a team record.

The following season, Manning set the Colts single-season record for passing yards, completions, games with 300 or more yards, and touchdowns. Then, in 2001, Manning and the Colts first displayed the team’s now famous “no-huddle offense,” in which the offense huddled either for a few seconds or not at all before lining up for the next play. This offensive strategy helped the Colts become known as a fast-acting team that put pressure on the opposing team’s defense.

During the 2002 season, Manning became the first quarterback in NFL history to have 4,000 or more passing yards in four consecutive seasons. In 2003, he continued the streak, passing for more than 4,000 yards for the fifth season in a row. Furthermore, he shared the NFL most valuable player (MVP) honor with Tennessee Titan quarterback Steve McNair. In 2004, Manning had another record-setting season: He broke the then-record for touchdown passes in one season, with 49, and the passer rating, with a 121.1 rating. He was selected as both the NFL MVP and offensive player of the year. Despite the many awards and records Manning had achieved since his rookie season, he had not yet won a Super Bowl, which many believed was the last important barrier to cross.

Continuing the Story

In 2006, Manning amassed 4,397 passing yards and led the league with a passer rating of 101 and 31 touchdown passes. The Colts advanced to the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, a team that had eliminated the Colts from the playoffs in the two previous seasons. Though the Colts trailed 21-3, Peyton led the team to a 38-34 victory, following a fourth-quarter, seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to take the lead with only one minute left in the game. This eighteen-point comeback was the largest deficit ever overcome in an NFL conference championship game. In the Super Bowl, the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears, 29-17. Manning was named the Super Bowl MVP and finally overcame the perception that he was unable to win the big games.

In 2007, Manning helped the Colts to a 13-3 season and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The team lost the divisional playoff game to the San Diego Chargers, 28-24. However, Manning finished the season with more than 4,000 yards for the eighth time.

The 2008 season was a rough start for the Colts. Manning had had knee surgery shortly before the season began, and he sat out the entire preseason schedule. When the regular season began, it was clear that he was not up to his usual form, and the Colts finished the first half of the season with a 4-4 record. By then, Manning was back to form. He led the Colts to eight-straight victories to finish the season. An upset loss to the Chargers ended the season in the first playoff game, but for his outstanding leadership, Manning was again named league MVP. For the 2009 season, Manning won another MVP award, his fourth, the most ever by one player. That season, he led the Colts to the Super Bowl, but the team lost to the New Orleans Saints.

Manning had another strong season in 2010, but he sat out the entire 2011 season because of a neck injury. Surprisingly, the Colts released him at the end of the season, at which point he joined the Denver Broncos, for whom he played four seasons. In his first season with the Broncos, Manning led the team to the playoffs; he also won the comeback player of the year award. The 2013 season was one of Manning's finest, as he set the record for most touchdown passes in a season. He won an unprecedented fifth MVP award while leading his team to the Super Bowl, where the Broncos were soundly defeated by the Seattle Seahawks. During the 2014 season, Manning became the leader in career touchdown passes, breaking the mark set by Brett Favre. Despite being hurt for six of the final seven games of the 2015 season, Manning returned to lead his team to another Super Bowl. This time, the Broncos were victorious, defeating the New England Patriots and Manning's primary rival, Tom Brady. Soon after the Super Bowl, Manning announced his retirement. In October 2017, the Colts unveiled a bronze statue of Manning outside the team's stadium. The same year, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2021, Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as the Broncos' Ring of Fame.

Following his retirement, Manning took on a number of different interests. In July 2017, he hosted the ESPY Awards. The same year, he lent his voice to the animated family film Ferdinand. Manning also serves as a spokesperson for the insurance company Nationwide, appearing in popular commercials for the company beginning in 2014. Manning has also hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) twice, in 2007 and 2008, and appeared on the show's segment Weekend Update in 2022. He was also a regular throughout ESPN's various networks, including having his own show, Peyton's Place, on ESPN+, in which he interviewed athletes, coaches, and celebrities in a documentary-style show about football. The show was produced by his production company, Omaha Productions. In 2021, he and his brother Eli began hosting Manningcast on ESPN2 and ESPN+. A spinoff of the traditional Monday Night Football broadcast, Manningcast featured the brothers conversing and commenting on the Monday night game, often with various celebrity guests. Bill Belichick, former New England Patriot's head coach, joined the brothers for the 2024 NFL season.

Manning was also a philanthropist, particularly dedicating himself to the city of Indianapolis as well as causes directly benefiting children. He began a charity for underprivileged children called the Peyback Foundation. He also donated a large sum of money in 2007 to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, which then named their children's hospital Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent in honor of Peyton's contribution. In 2022, in honor of his late teammate Demaryius Thomas, the Peyback Foundation teamed up with Georgia Tech and began a scholarship in Thomas's name.

Summary

Peyton Manning’s success as a football player reflected his life of dedication to his sport. These qualities led him to rank at or near the top in numerous NFL categories. At the time of his retirement in 2016, Manning held regular-season records for most career passing yards, most career touchdown passes, and most touchdowns in a season. He threw for more than 3,000 yards in the first thirteen seasons of his career and was named to fourteen Pro Bowls.

Bibliography

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