ELISHA “Eli” MANNING
Quarterback
University of Mississippi Rebels
6:04.1-218
New Orleans, Louisiana
Isadore Newman High School
Fine athlete who is certain to follow his father, Archie, and brother,
Peyton, into the National Football League…Only the fifth quarterback in
Southeastern Conference annals to throw for over 10,000 yards in a
career…Holder of 45 school game, season and career records...A bigplay specialist, known for rallying the team for fourth quarter victories,
he hit on 829 of 1363 passes (60.8%) for 10,119 yards, 81 touchdowns and 35 interceptions,
topping the previous marks of 566 completions of 981 passes by Kent Austin (1981-85), 6311
yards and 43 scores by Romaro Miller (1997-2000)…Only Bobby Garner (63.2%, 1975-78) and
Paul Head (61.5%, 1993-96) had a higher pass completion percentage among the school’s alltime quarterbacks…Scored five times on 128 carries…Totaled 9,984 yards and accounted for 86
touchdowns, breaking the previous Ole Miss career-records of 6,413 yards by Miller and 56
scores by his father, Archie Manning (1968-70)…His passing yards and total offensive yardage
rank fifth in Southeastern Conference annals while his pass attempts and completions rank
fourth…His 81 touchdown tosses rank third and his 86 total scores (81 passing, 6 rushing) rank
fourth in SEC history…Good mobility…Has decent foot speed in his drop-back, showing balance
while staying in control moving around the pocket…Has a very fluid, natural delivery, setting his
feet properly and throwing a tight spiral…Puts good zip on the ball going over the middle…Tough
under pressure, standing tall and taking shots until he can find his target…Outstanding competitor
who is a leader by example…Throws a nice, catchable ball underneath and rarely will the
receiver have to work to get to the pass…Flashes good placement and touch on the deep throws,
consistently putting it on the outside shoulder of his receivers…Has the foot speed and agility to
slide and avoid the rush stepping out of the pocket and shows a fluid motion rolling out to buy
time for his targets to get open… Shows good field awareness and timing when throwing over the
middle, possessing a fluid release, whether throwing to the left or right (has a high release)…Can
pick apart a defense, if given time in the pocket.
2003 SEASON
Won the Maxwell Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate player, and the Johnny Unitas
Golden Arm Award, given to the nation’s top senior quarterback...Finished third in the 2003
Heisman Trophy balloting...Finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award and The Walter Camp
Foundation Player of the Year Award... Earned All-American first-team honors from Southern
Football Weekly, adding second team accolades from The Sporting News and honorable mention
from Sports Illustrated… All-SEC first-team pick and named the SEC Offensive Player of the
Year by The Associated Press and the league’s coaches...Also selected as the SEC Player of the
Year by the Commercial Appeal...Earned the Conerly Trophy, given to the top collegiate player in
the state of Mississippi (also won the Conerly Trophy in 2001)...Named one of 15 scholar-athletes
by the National Football Foundation and College of Hall of Fame, and will receive an $18,000
post-graduate scholarship...Finalist for Draddy Trophy (academic Heisman), given to the top
scholar-athlete in the nation...Named to the SEC Good Works Team...Started all year, recording
three fourth-quarter wins (either tied or trailing in the fourth quarter) vs. Vanderbilt, Florida and
Auburn while serving as one of the team’s four captains...Earned back-to-back SEC Offensive
Player of the Week honors vs. South Carolina and Auburn (first player since Alabama’s Shaun
Alexander in 1999 to earn back-to-back SEC Offensive Player of the Week awards)...Led the
SEC as he completed 275 of 441 passes (62.4%) for 3,600 yards, 29 touchdowns and 10
interceptions, topping his old school season-record of 3,401 yards in 2002…Scored three times
on 48 carries… Gained 3,572 yards in total offense, breaking his own Rebel season-record of
3,281 yards in 2002.
Vanderbilt…Hit on 22 of 33 passes for 275 yards and a 23-yard touchdown to Mike Espy and also
threw a two-point conversion. Engineered a 7-play, 55-yard drive with 3:52 left to set up a gamewinning 54-yard field goal by Jonathan Nichols in a 24-21 triumph.
Memphis…Totaled 292 yards on 26 of 48 attempts with 4 touchdowns, including a 40-yarder to
Bill Flowers.
Louisiana-Monroe…Followed with 21 of 26 passes for 353 yards and 3 scores, including a 49yarder to Taye Biddle and also ran for a 3-yard touchdown.
Texas Tech…Teamed with Red Raider QB B.J. Symons (Big 12 Conference record 661 yards
and six touchdowns) for 1,070 yards and nine touchdowns, as Eli connected on 29 of 49 tosses
for 409 yards and 3 scores, including a 29-yarder to Espy…His 409 yards rank fourth on the
school’s game-record list, topped only by his own 414-yard performance vs. Arkansas in 2002,
John Darnell’s 412 yards vs. Arkansas State in 1989 and Archie Manning’s 436 yards vs.
Alabama in 1969.
Florida…Rallied the team to a 20-17 victory as he engineered an 8-play, 50-yard drive that was
capped off by a 1-yard scoring plunge by Vashon Pearson with 1:10 remaining…Had 17 of 29
tosses for 262 yards.
Arkansas State…Followed with 23 of 36 attempts for 306 yards and 3 touchdowns, adding 21
yards on 7 carries.
Alabama…Connected on 14 of 22 passes for 230 yards and 3 scores, including a 41-yarder to
Kerry Johnson and ran for a 3-yard touchdown.
Arkansas…Completed 17 of 32 passes for 145 yards and a 1-yard touchdown to Rick Razzano in
a 19-7 win.
South Carolina…Amassed 391 yards on 30 of 42 tries with 3 touchdowns.
Auburn…Again rallied the team, putting up a 24-20 score as he connected on 19 of 30 tosses for
218 yards with touchdowns of 2 yards to Chris Collins and 15 yards to Mario Hill…Guided a 10play, 80-yard drive with 2:39 left to set up Brandon Jacobs’ game-winning 1-yard scoring plunge.
Louisiana State…Hit on 16 of 36 passes for 200 yards and a score.
Mississippi State…Completed 70.4% of his passes (19 of 27) for 260 yards and 3 touch- downs.
Oklahoma State (Cotton Bowl)…Closed out his career completing 22 of 31 attempts for 259 yards
and scoring strikes of 16 yards to Tremaine Turner and 25 yards to Espy, adding a 1-yard
touchdown run with 8:50 left to give the Rebels a 31-28 decision.
2002 SEASON
Semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, presented to the nation's top quarterback... Named to
the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team... Second-team All-SEC
selection by The Associated Press...Became the school's career leader in touchdown passes
against Arkansas (10/26) and was the 17th player in SEC history to reach 50 career scoring
passes...Threw for 3,401 yards and 21 touchdowns on 279 of 481 passes (58.0%)…His 3,401
yards set a school season-record (since broken by Eli in 2003), topping his previous mark of
2,948 yards in 2001…Scored twice on 39 carries and gained 3,281 yards in total offense, the
second-best season total in Ole Miss annals… Threw for at least 300 yards in four games (school
season-record)…Fumbled the ball five times (two resulted in turnovers).
Louisiana-Monroe…Threw for 192 yards on 17 of 31 chances with a 26-yard score to Bill
Flowers.
Memphis…Added 174 yards and 3 touchdowns on 14 of 30 chances.
Texas Tech…Connected on 34 of 57 passes for 374 yards and 3 scores, including 11 & 12yarders to Chris Collins…His 57 pass attempts set a school game-record.
Vanderbilt…Connected on 24 of 41 attempts for 386 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a
78-yarder to Mike Espy and engineered a game-winning 9-play, 80-yard drive with 3:12 left that
was capped off by a 23-yard run by Ronald McClendon in a 45-38 triumph.
Florida…Despite having a costly fumble on a 7-yard sack by UF defender Keiwan Ratliff that set
up a 16-yard touchdown pass from Rex Grossman to Carlos Perez, he hit on 18 of 33 passes for
154 yards (had his string of 16-straight games with at least one touchdown pass snapped) in a
17-14 victory.
Arkansas State…Completed 14 of 19 attempts for 290 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a 67yarder to Taye Biddle.
Alabama…Recovered his own fumble and hit on 18 of 32 throws for 219 yards.
Arkansas…Fumbled twice, turning the ball over after dropping the ball on a rush attempt
(recovered by Arkansas, setting up a 29-yard field goal), but managed to amass a career-high
414 yards (second-best game total in school history, topped only by his father, Archie’s 436 vs.
Alabama in 1969) on 42 of 56 passes with a pair of scores…His 42 pass completions broke the
old school record of 37 by Kent Austin vs. Tennessee in 1982… Also ran for a 1-yard score.
Auburn…Followed with 284 yards on 26 of 46 throws with touchdowns of 41, 12 & 8 yards to
Chris Collins, but was picked off in the end zone by Travaris Robinson with 1:52 left in a tough
31-24 loss (had three interceptions for the day).
Georgia…Intercepted twice and fumbled once as he only gained 176 yards on 12 of 25 tosses.
Louisiana State…Completed 19 of 38 passes for 218 yards and a 20-yard score to Mike Espy.
Mississippi State…Ran for a 1-yard touchdown and hit on 16 of 29 chances for 207 yards with
scores of 28 & 77 yards to Collins.
Nebraska (Independence Bowl)…Guided the Rebels to a 27-24 upset win over Nebraska,
engineering a game-winning 8-play, 57-yard drive with 4:38 remaining to set up a 43-yard field
goal by Jonathan Nichols, finishing the day with 25 of 44 passes for 313 yards and an 11-yard
touchdown to Kerry Johnson.
2001 SEASON
Football News and College Football News All-American honorable mention in his first full year as
a starter...Recipient of the Conerly Trophy, presented to the top collegiate player in the State of
Mississippi...Semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, presented to the nation's top
quarterback...Listed on the Walter Camp Football Foundation's list of the top 10 leading
candidates for its prestigious "Player of the Year" award...Set or tied 17 school records, including
establishing new Ole Miss single-season marks for passing yards (2,948), passing attempts
(408), completions (259), touchdown passes (31), total offense (2,957) and total touchdowns
responsible for (31)...His 31 scoring passes and 31 total touchdowns responsible for ranked as
the seventh-best single-season total in SEC history…Completed 63.5% of his passes, connecting
on 259 of 408 for 2948 yards and nine interceptions…Tied for first in completions and had the
lowest percentage of passes intercepted (2.21) in the SEC...Set a school record with 11
consecutive 200-yard passing games…Fumbled three times, turning the ball over twice.
Murray State… Earned Quarterback Club Offensive Player of the Week honors and Player of the
Week honors from The Southeastern Post...Set an Ole Miss single-game record with 18 straight
completions...Hit on 20 of 23 tosses for 271 yards and a then school record 5 touchdowns in his
first career start.
Auburn…Named Quarterback Club co-Player of the Game as he hit on 24 of 39 attempts for 265
yards and a 50-yard score to Omar Rayford, but was stripped from the ball by linebacker Mark
Brown, setting up a 2-yard touchdown run by Auburn’s Casinious Moore that gave the Tigers a
27-21 win over Ole Miss.
Kentucky…Made up for a fumble by connecting on 19 of 36 passes for 268 yards and a pair of
scores.
Arkansas State…Gained 269 yards on 20 of 26 tosses with 2 touchdowns, including a 51-yarder
to Chris Collins.
Alabama…Followed with 22 of 41 passes for 325 yards and a game-winning 3-yard score to Joe
Gunn with 0:46 left in a 27-24 decision, earning Quarterback Club Player of the Game and SEC
Player of the Week honors.
Middle Tennessee…Had 3 touchdowns as he hit on 25 of 31 passes for 257 yards.
Louisiana State…Completed 28 of 44 attempts for 249 yards and 3 scores, including fourth
quarter touchdowns of 17 & 4 yards (game-winner with 2:19 left) to Doug Zeigler, rallying the
Rebels to a 35-24 triumph…Had a streak of 168 passes without an interception snapped in the
second quarter.
Arkansas…Set a school game-record with 6 touchdown tosses, completing 27 of 42 throws for
312 yards, but had a costly fumble on a rushing attempt in a tough 58-56 seven-overtime loss.
Georgia…Connected on 35 of 47 passes for 233 yards and a pair of scores.
Mississippi State…Gained 213 yards with 2 touchdowns on 16 of 36 tries, but self-destructed in
the fourth quarter, throwing 3 interceptions, with two setting up touchdown drives.
Vanderbilt…Finished the season with 23 of 40 passes for 286 yards and 4 touchdowns, including
a 39-yarder to Jesse Armstead, but threw three interceptions for the second-straight week.
2000 SEASON
Saw action in six games as a reserve, completing 16 of 33 passes (48.5%) for 170 yards.
Alabama…Connected on 5 of 9 tosses for 36 yards.
Arkansas State…Totaled 25 yards on 3 of 4 throws.
Georgia…Gained 88 yards on 5 of 12 attempts.
West Virginia (Music City Bowl)…Hit on 12 of 20 passes for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns in the
fourth quarter.
1999 SEASON
Redshirted as a freshman.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Isidore Newman (New Orleans, La.) High, playing football for coach Frank
Gendusa…All-American, All-State and All-District pick...USA Today Player of the Year in
Louisiana...All-Metro MVP...Super Prep Louisiana Top 38, ranking seventh...Guided Newman to
an 11-1 record and a berth to the state quarterfinals for the second straight year... Rolled up
impressive career passing marks at Newman as he completed 429 of 725 passes (59.2%) for
7,389 yards and 81 touchdowns with only 24 interceptions...Completed 140 of 234 passes for
2,381 yards and 30 touchdowns in his senior year...Averaged 17.0 yards per completion his
senior season and 10.2 yards for his career...Completed 142 of 235 passes for 2,547 yards and
26 scores as a junior and 139 of 245 passes for 2,340 yards and 24 touchdowns as a
sophomore...Earned four letters in football, four in basketball, and two in baseball.
PERSONAL
Marketing major…Made the Chancellor's Honor Roll in Fall of 1999 and Fall of 2002, the Dean's
Honor Roll in Spring of 2000 and Fall of 2000, the U.M.A.A. Honor Roll in Spring of 2001, Spring
of 2002 and Spring of 2003...Named to the 2000, 2001 and 2002 SEC Academic Honor Roll, to
the 2001 and 2002 Verizon District VI All-Academic first-team and to the 2001 Verizon national
All-Academic second-team…Son of Archie and Olivia Manning...Archie, considered one of the
greatest players in Ole Miss history, was the quarterback on the school's Team of the Century
(1893-1992)...Olivia is a former Home-coming Queen at Ole Miss...Brother, Peyton, was an AllAmerican at Tennessee, where he set almost every Vol passing mark before beginning his career
in the National Football League as a member of the Indianapolis Colts…Oldest brother, Cooper,
was a freshman member of the Ole Miss football team in 1992, but a congenital narrowing of the
spinal canal and a bulging disk in his neck ended a promising career...Born Elisha Nelson
Manning on 1/03/81…Resides in New Orleans, Louisiana.
PASSING STATISTICS
STATS ATT COMP
2000
33
16
2001
408
259
2002
481
279
2003
441
275
TOTAL 1363
829
RUSHING STATISTICS
STATS GP GS NO
2000
06 00
7
2001
11 11
34
2002
13 13
39
2003
13 13
48
TOTAL 43 37 128
TOTAL OFFENSE
STATS GM PLAYS
2000
06
23
2001
11
442
2002
13
520
2003
13
489
TOTAL 43
1474
PCT
48.5
63.5
58.0
62.4
60.8
YARDS
170
2948
3401
3600
10119
YARDS
4
9
-120
-28
-135
PASS
170
2948
3401
3600
10119
AVG
0.6
0.3
-3.1
-0.6
-1.1
RUSH
4
9
-120
-28
-135
TD
0
31
21
29
81
YD/ATT
5.15
7.23
7.07
8.16
7.42
TD
0
0
2
3
5
YD/CMP
10.63
11.38
12.19
13.09
12.21
INT
1
9
15
10
35
I/PCT
3.03
2.21
3.12
2.27
2.57
LONG
15
15
9
13
15
YARDS
174
2957
3281
3572
9984
TDR
0
31
23
32
86
P/AVG
7.57
6.69
6.31
7.30
6.77
GM/AVG
29.00
268.82
252.38
274.77
232.19
LG
26
56
79
59
79
GM/AVG
28.33
268.00
261.62
276.92
235.33