Archie Manning

Elisha Archibald Manning III was born on May 19, 1949 in Drew, Mississippi and is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He is the father of current Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback Peyton Manning, current New York Giants starting quarterback Eli Manning, and former Ole Miss receiver, Cooper Manning.

College career
Archie was the starting quarterback at Ole Miss for three years. In the first national prime time broadcast of a college football game (1969), Manning threw for 436 yards and three touchdowns, also rushing for 104 yards, in a heartbreaking 33-32 loss to Alabama. That 540-yard performance is still tied for the SEC record for most total yards in a game.

But despite his considerable talent, the rest of the team was not at his level, and the Rebels only had a record of 15-7 in his last two years. In his college career, he threw for 4,753 yards and 56 touchdowns and ran for 823.5 yards. He scored 14 touchdowns in 1969. In both 1969 and 1970, he was named to the All-SEC team and his #18 jersey was retired by Ole Miss. In 1969, he was Mississippi Sportsman of the Year and recipient of the Nashville Banner Trophy as Most Valuable Player in the Southeastern Conference. Archie was fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1969, third in 1970. Manning was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Manning's legacy is honored to this day on the campus of Ole Miss where the speed limit is eighteen miles per hour in honor of Manning's jersey number. Bear Bryant would go on to say he was the best college quarterback he would ever see play. During his time at Ole Miss, Manning was a brother of Sigma Nu Fraternity. Manning was named Southeastern Conference Quarterback of the Quarter Century (1950-75) by several publications.

NFL career
After his college career at Ole Miss, he was selected in the 1971 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints with the second overall selection. The Saints were at that time – and throughout Manning's stay there – one of the worst teams in the league, and Manning's supporters have often speculated that this was the reason that his career was less successful than it otherwise might have been, while others believe that the fact that he played for a bad team allowed him to pad his stats because losing teams are forced to pass more. Nevertheless, he was well respected by NFL peers; Sports Illustrated senior writer Paul Zimmerman recalls opposing defensive linemen, "Jack Youngblood in particular" taking it easy on the poorly protected Manning.

For his part Manning seemed to appreciate Youngblood's kindness telling the Los Angeles Times, on September 23, 1974, "The Rams front four is the best I ever faced . . . I've got to say that Youngblood was nice enough to pick me up every time he knocked my (butt) off." Today, Manning quips that Youngblood's career would not have been as successful without him, "I really should be his presenter. He wouldn’t have gotten in [to the Hall of Fame] without having me to sack."

Manning played for the Saints for ten full seasons, none of them winning. In 1972 he led the league in pass attempts and completions, and led the NFC in passing yards, though the team's record was only 2-11-1. In 1978, he was named the NFC Player Of The Year by UPI after leading the Saints to a 7-9 record. That same year, Archie was also named All-NFC by both the UPI and The Sporting News.

Manning was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1978 and 1979. He went on to conclude his career with the Houston Oilers (1982-1983), and the Minnesota Vikings (1983-1984), where the teams posted a collective record of 6-35. He ended his 13-year career having completed 2,011 of 3,642 passes for 23,911 yards and 125 touchdowns, with 173 interceptions. He also rushed for 2,197 yards and 18 touchdowns. His 2,011 completions ranked 17th in NFL history upon his retirement. His record as a starter was 35-101-3 (26.3%), the worst in NFL history among QB's with at least 100 starts.

Post-NFL career
Manning continues to make his home in New Orleans, though he also owns a condo in Oxford, Mississippi which he relocated to following Hurricane Katrina, and he is involved as an analyst with the Saints' radio and preseason television broadcasts. He can also be seen as a commentator for CBS Sports' college football broadcasts. He is the father of three sons, Cooper, Peyton, and Eli. Archie has also been utilized as a commercial spokesman for products in Southeast Louisiana, where he remains popular with many fans. In 2007, Manning was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award by the Boy Scouts of America. The Silver Buffalo is the highest award given for service to Youth on a national basis.

In 2007, Manning was hired as spokesman for a United Parcel Service contest to promote its "Delivery Intercept" service. He appeared in an advertising campaign for the UPS Delivery Intercept Challenge Video Contest, which solicited amateur videos of football interceptions from high school and youth games. Among the prizes were a tailgate party with Archie Manning, and Manning-autographed footballs.

Olivia Manning
Olivia Manning, Archie's wife, was Homecoming Queen her senior year. After she moved to New Orleans, Archie and Olivia had three sons and she became, and remains, active in charity and volunteer work in the community. The Mannings make their home in the Garden District of New Orleans, which escaped heavy damage from Hurricane Katrina. Olivia is seen, along with Archie and sons Cooper, Peyton and Eli, in an ESPN commercial.

Cooper Manning
Cooper Archibald Manning, Archie's oldest son was born in 1974. The only Manning brother not playing professional football, he was a standout wide receiver at the Isidore Newman School. During his senior year he was selected to the all-state team, the same season his brother Peyton started at quarterback as a sophomore.

Cooper was heavily recruited by Division I schools Texas, Virginia and Ole Miss. He enrolled at Ole Miss, but as a freshman in 1992 he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, thus ending his NFL aspirations.

After a successful surgery in 1993, he eventually graduated from Ole Miss, and entered the business world. Cooper married Ellen Heidingsfelder in 1999 and together they have three children, a daughter named May born in 2002, and two sons, Arch and Heid, born in 2004 and 2006. He currently runs his own financial business in New Orleans.

Peyton Manning
Peyton is the current quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts and was the first selection in the 1998 NFL Draft. He attended the University of Tennessee. He led the Colts to a 29-17 victory in Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears on February 4, 2007. He also won the Super Bowl MVP Award.

Eli Manning
Eli Manning, Archie's youngest of the group, is currently the starting quarterback of the New York Giants and was the first overall selection by the San Diego Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft. He then refused to play for the Chargers, drawing many remarks insinuating that he was a spoiled baby. Like his father, he attended Ole Miss and played as the Rebels' starting quarterback. He led the Giants to a stunning 17-14 upset of the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008. Like his brother the year before, Eli also won the Super Bowl MVP Award.