He’s the Mann
PEYTON MANNING’S UPBRINGING MADE HIM WHO HE IS TODAY—A QUARTERBACK WHO IS DETERMINED TO LEAD THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS TO ANOTHER SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP. BY BRET LOVE
Some might argue that Peyton Manning—a Super Bowl champion with several Most Valuable Player Awards on his mantle (from the league and for performances in the Pro Bowl and Superbowl)—was pre-destined for athletic greatness.
The second-born son of University of Mississippi’s homecoming queen Olivia and famed quarterback Archie Manning (an All-American at Ole Miss and 14-year Nflplayer), Peyton weighed more than 12 pounds at birth. By the time he was three years old, he was already playing catch with older brother Cooper in the yard of the family’s massive home in New Orleans’ historic Garden District.
Young Peyton idolized his famous father, listening to audiotapes of Archie’s college games and memorizing Southeastern Conference trivia with his other brother Eli, who is five years younger.
“I am thankful for the way my parents raised me and my two brothers,” Peyton says of his close family. “It was a very family-oriented upbringing, and I think them being raised in Mississippi influenced the way they raised us.”
Although life in the Manning household revolved around sports, and Peyton grew up eager for the day when he could finally play football for Isidore Newman School (one of Louisiana’s top private schools), Archie and Olivia never pushed their kids to become professional athletes.
In fact, it was his older brother who initially stoked Peyton’s competitive fire, challenging him at every turn. Cooper made the ultimate sacrifice when he switched from QB to wide receiver in his sophomore year so that Peyton could lead the team to a 12-2 record.
“It was never planned for me, or Eli, to be Nflquarterbacks,” Peyton says. “Like most kids, we grew up participating in sports, but our parents encouraged us to play all kinds of sports. We all played football, basketball and baseball, and I think we had the normal childhood dreams of maybe trying to play pro ball one day. But it was never a mission by any means. I think my parents would tell you that they were as surprised as anybody to have two sons playing in the NFL. We’ve had a lot of good fortune along the way— great coaches and teammates around all through high school and college, and very supportive parents who encouraged, but never pressured us.”
If anything, Peyton’s parents stressed the importance of their children’s achievements off the football field, making education their top priority. In this field, Peyton also rose to the challenge, attacking education with the same level of passion and commitment.
When he wasn’t hitting the books, he could usually be found hitting the weight room. Peyton maintains this overachieving work ethic to this day, making him one of the most respected players in the NFL. “I feel fortunate to be playing in the National Football League and making a living playing a game I love,” he says. “I’ve never taken that opportunity for granted. I just try to work really hard and do the best that I can.”
This intense dedication to the endless pursuit of perfection has served Peyton well throughout his impressive collegiate and professional career. He has one of the best heads and most durable bodies in the game.
Known for watching hundreds of hours of video and working to improve his footwork, Peyton’s fierce competitive nature and top-notch technique make him a natural and effective leader.
“I think you’re always working to get better and improve, whether it’s a specific type of situation or working on your accuracy and timing with your wide receivers,” Peyton says. “You’re adding new players every year, so you have to get comfortable with them and get on the same page. I believe that you either get better or you get worse—you don’t stay the same—and it’s important, especially as you get older, to try to keep your skills sharp.”
The same could be said of his team, the returning Super Bowl champs who have the best record in the Nfl over the past five seasons (60 wins, 20 losses). But the Colts have also lost several key players in the last two years, including running backs Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes and defensive linebacker Cato June. And while the Peyton-led offense has largely dominated the competition, ranking in the league’s top three for four years straight, the team’s 2006 defense ranked 23rd in the NFL.
Even Peyton acknowledges the Colts have their work cut out for them if they hope to repeat in the face of strong competition within their own division and from the New England Patriots, encouraging 2007 draft picks such as wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, tackle Tony Ugoh, cornerback Dante Hughes and defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock to step up their games.
“Football is very much a year-to-year kind of sport,” Peyton says. “We lost a number of players due to free agency last year, so we have a number of holes to fill. It’s important for some of these young players to make up the difference. We have an extremely tough schedule, but hopefully we can play well and peak at the right time. But we’re excited off the field, while many of his professional sports peers struggle with career-threatening scandals, Peyton (who married his college sweetheart, Ashley Thompson, in 2001) continues to lead by example. Named one of the 10 Outstanding Young Americans by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1999, he’s always made a point of giving back to the community by working with organizations ranging from the Kids National Literacy Campaign and Boy Scouts of America to the Special Olympics and the President’s Council for Physical Fitness. He has reaffirmed his commitment to the state of Indiana with the renaming of the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent, and he has his own charity, the PeyBack Foundation.
“Basically what we do is try to help out kids who don’t have an easy life,” he says of the eight-year-old program. “We try to encourage them to surround themselves with the right kinds of people, listen to their teachers, guidance counselors, principals and parents—people who are looking out for them and have their best interests at heart. We also try to provide grants, programs, leadership and growth opportunities to at-risk youth, and we’ve helped a lot of kids. It’s been very rewarding work.
I believe that while you’re an Nflplayer with a chance to make an impact on young people, it’s important to try to take advantage of that platform.”
With his old-fashioned work ethic, strong family values, inspiring leadership abilities and a remarkable record of accomplishments (his career QB rating is an impressive 94.6, with record-holder Steve Young only slightly ahead at 96.8, and he threw for 25,000 yards faster than any quarterback other than Dan Marino), the seven-time Pro Bowl QB looks likely to lead his team to many more winning seasons, and clearly has his sights set on winning another Super Bowl.
But careers in the Nfl are notoriously brutal on a player’s body, and none more so than the QB. Which begs the question, what might Peyton do once he hangs up his Indianapolis Colts jersey for the last time?
“I’ve been doing some motivational-type public speaking during the off-season,” he says. “This is my 10th season in the NFL, and my dad played for 14 years, so I think playing 15 to 16 years as a quarterback is an attainable goal I’d like to achieve if I can keep playing at a consistent level. I really feel obligated to concentrate on my current job 100% up until that point—to give my teammates, coaches and the owner of the team the best effort I can give. As far as what comes after that, you just have to keep your options open and see what happens.”