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Sports Stars Volume 5 1/14/04 2:31 PM Page 116
Peyton
Manning
1976–
O
“I’ve always been
a team guy.”
—Peyton
Manning.
P
eyton Manning, the outstanding quarterback of the
Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League
(NFL), was born with football in his blood. His father,
Archie Manning, was an outstanding NFL quarterback during
the 1970s and early 1980s, and Manning wanted to be just
like his dad. Manning starred for four record-breaking seasons
at the University of Tennessee before becoming the first pick
in the 1997 NFL Draft. In his first professional season, he set
rookie passing records that may stand for many years. Manning wants to achieve one goal his father never accomplished:
winning a Super Bowl.
Growing Up
Peyton Manning was born March 24, 1976.
He was the second of three sons of Archie and Olivia Manning.
Archie Manning was the star quarterback of the University of
BORN TO THROW.
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Mississippi and later played for the New
Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers, and Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. During his professional career the elder Manning passed for
23,911 yards and 125 touchdowns.
Manning grew up in a home in the historic Garden District of New Orleans,
Louisiana. Football was an important part
of the family’s life. Manning attended his
father’s games and hung out with the NFL
players after the games. The Saints were a
bad team and often their home field, the
Superdome, would be filled with boos for
the team’s signal-caller, Archie Manning.
The constant losing also affected the
younger Manning who would often join in
and boo the home team.
SCOREBOARD
NUMBER-ONE PICK IN THE
1998 NFL DRAFT.
SET NFL ROOKIE RECORDS FOR
PASSING ATTEMPTS (575),
COMPLETIONS (326), YARDS (3,739),
AND TOUCHDOWN PASSES (26)
DURING THE 1998 SEASON.
SET 7 SOUTHEASTERN
CONFERENCE (SEC) AND 33
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE
PASSING RECORDS DURING HIS
FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE CAREER.
MANNING HOPES TO ESTABLISH
THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
AS A LEGITIMATE SUPER
BOWL CONTENDER.
Archie Manning taught his son about
football and life. The two would talk for
hours and Manning studied tapes of his father’s college and
professional games. “I never pushed him into football,”
Archie Manning insisted in USA Today. “I didn’t try to mold
him into a quarterback in my own image. I feel very strongly
about not interfering. I don’t want to get into being around
practices or coaches. I’ll be his father, and that’s it.”
Manning starred in several sports at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans. He played shortstop on the
high school baseball team and also participated in basketball
for two years. But it was in football that Manning earned
national recognition.
PREP STAR.
As a sophomore Manning earned the starting quarterback job at Newman. He teamed up with his older brother
Cooper, a wide receiver, to give the team a dynamic duo.
Cooper ended that season with 73 receptions, 1,250 yards,
and 13 touchdowns. The experience also brought the two
brothers together. “That year made us buddies,” Cooper Manning revealed to Sports Illustrated. The Manning brothers
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BROTHERLY LOVE
His brother’s disease was an inspiration for Peyton Manning. “Cooper’s
situation made me realize how important it is to maintain your priorities,” he
explained to USA Today. “Faith, family, education—everything else is after
that. It made me appreciate every single game, every single practice, and
treat it as if it’s my last. Every game,
I’m always thinking of him. I want to
do well; I know he’s watching.”
took Newman to the state Class 2A semifinals and the team finished the season with a
record of 12-2.
Cooper graduated after that magic season and accepted a scholarship to the University of Mississippi, his father’s alma mater.
During his freshman season at Mississippi it
was discovered that Cooper suffered from a
spinal weakness that forced him to give up
football and still causes numbness in his leg.
During his last two years
in high school Manning established himself
as one of the most coveted college football
prospects in the United States. As a high
school junior he passed for 2,345 yards and
30 touchdowns, with only 4 interceptions. As a senior Manning won the Gatorade National High School Player of the
Year Award and several awards as the best high school football player in the United States. During his high school career
he passed for 7,190 yards and 92 touchdowns.
TOUGH DECISION.
The fans from the University of Mississippi put incredible pressure on the Manning family to convince the young
quarterback to attend their school. “Some of my buddies
have called and said, ‘You make him go to Ole Miss,’”
Archie Manning related to Sports Illustrated. “They’re real
hard-core about it. And though I’m sure they mean well,
they aren’t thinking about what they’d do if Peyton was
their son.”
Finally Manning decided to make a name for himself
and attend the University of Tennessee. He liked the fact that
he would not be viewed as the savior of the Tennessee program. “I kind of had the feeling if I went to Ole Miss, I’d be
an instant celebrity without doing anything,” Manning
explained. “Mississippi people think I’m a good quarterback,
but I could never live up to how good they think I am.” Manning changed his number from his father’s 18 to 16 because
another player already had that number.
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Indianapolis Colts
quarterback Peyton Manning
rifles a pass during a game
against the Detroit Lions.
HARD WORKING VOLUNTEER. Manning studied film and the
Tennessee playbook before his freshman season. He began the
season on the bench, but soon took over as the team’s starting
quarterback when both Jerry Colquitt and Todd Helton were
lost to injuries. When Manning took over the team was 1-3. “I
was hoping that I would get to play in a few games and gain
some experience for next season,” he stated. “It has been satisfying for me because even though I was telling myself that I
was going to be sitting on the sideline and watch[ing], I really
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didn’t want to. It has been very rewarding to get on the field
and to play as a freshman in the best conference in America.”
With Manning at the helm, the University of Tennessee
Volunteers won six of their next seven games and earned a
spot in the Gator Bowl against Virginia Tech. Although he
shared time at quarterback with fellow freshman Brandon
Stewart, he still threw for 1,141 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 6
interceptions. In the Gator Bowl, Manning completed 12 of
19 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown in a 45-23 Tennessee win. “Peyton has grown up a lot this season,” Phil Fulmer said. “I don’t consider him a freshman anymore because
he’s been around our team and our system for so long. And
the great thing is he’s going to be with us awhile longer.”
Superstar
Before the 1995 season began, Stewart
decided to transfer to Texas A&M University. That left Manning as the undisputed starting quarterback at Tennessee. “First
of all, I truly wish [Stewart] the best of luck,” Manning said.
“I’m really disappointed he’s leaving because I’m obviously
losing a good teammate and a good friend. The team is going
to hurt because any time you lose great players, it hurts.”
VOLUNTEER LEADER.
During the 1995 season, the game against the University
of Florida was the biggest one on Tennessee’s schedule
because the Gators stood between the Volunteers and the
Southeastern Conference (SEC) title. “I’ve been thinking
about Florida since last spring,” Manning admitted to Sports
Illustrated. “I feel I’m ready to play.” Tennessee led by 16
points in the first half against Florida and held a 30-21 lead at
halftime. In a remarkable turnaround, however, Florida overran the Volunteers in the second half, outscoring them 41-7 en
route to a 62-37 victory. Manning completed 23 of 36 passes
for 326 yards.
The Florida game would be Tennessee’s only loss in
1995. Manning finished the year with 2,954 passing yards, 22
touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions. A 10-1 record earned
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