Peyton Manning

Peyton Williams Manning (March 24, 1976-) is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the National Football League, and has won and unprecedented five NFL Most Valuable Player Awards. Born with a quarterback pedigree as the son of long-time New Orleans Saints quarterback, Archie Manning, Peyton seemed destined for a Hall of Fame-type of career as he has impressed at every level of the game. He led his high school team to a 35-4 record in three years as a starter, earning the Gatorade Circle of Champions National and Columbus Touchdown Club National Offensive Player of the Year Awards. With the University of Tennessee, Peyton led the Volunteers to two Citrus Bowl victories, was a perennial Heisman candidate and set numerous school records including throwing for 11,201 yards and an SEC record, 89 touchdowns. In Manning’s senior season at Tennessee, he won the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas Awards, the ESPY for Best College Football Player and was a consensus first-team All American. The Indianapolis Colts then took the talented quarterback with the Number 1 overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft inserting him immediately into the backfield.

In his rookie season, Peyton guided the Colts to a 3-13 record as he threw for 3,739 yard and 26 touchdowns and led the NFL in passing attempts (575), but also led the league with 28 interceptions. In his second season, he turned the franchise, and that record, around as he passed for 4,185 yards, his first of 14 seasons with 4,000+ passing yards. Manning quickly evolved into one of the elite NFL QBs and led the league in passing yards and quarterback rating three times, and four times in pass completions and touchdowns. Peyton led Indianapolis to seven AFC South division titles, two AFC Championship Games and Super Bowl XLI. In Super Bowl XLI, Peyton went 25 for 38 for 247 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception against the Chicago Bears and was named Super Bowl XLI’s Most Valuable Player. Peyton has been named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player five times (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013), the NFL AP Offensive Player of the Year on two occasions, an NFL All-Pro First Team selection seven times and was selected to 14 NFL Pro Bowls. He reached the 50,000 passing yards and 4,000 completions plateaus faster than any player in NFL history and is the Colts all-time leader in wins, passing yards, pass attempts and completions and touchdown passes. Peyton sat out the 2011 season after undergoing neck surgery.

He played 14 years in Indianapolis (1998-2011) then signed with the Denver Broncos in March of 2012. Manning proceeded to lead the Broncos, who had finished 2011 with an 8-8-0 record, to a 13-3-0 record and the AFC Divisional Playoff game before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. He led the NFL in completion percentage, obviously recovered from his 2011 neck surgery, and was named the 2012 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. In 2013, Manning had perhaps the greatest statistical season of any quarterback in history as he set the record for most touchdown passes (55) and most passing yards (5,477) in a single season while leading the Broncos to their seventh Super Bowl appearance. Manning sought to become the first quarterback in NFL history to lead two clubs to Super Bowl victories. It was not to be as they lost 43-8 to the Seattle Seahawks, who won their first NFL title in franchise history. Once again at the helm of the Broncos offense, Manning began his final season with the same fervor as his previous record-setting campaign. The Broncos went 12-4 in 2015, and were victors in Super Bowl 50, Peyton Manning's last professional game.

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