Peyton Manning

Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons.

Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with the Denver Broncos.

Manning is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

A member of the Manning football dynasty, he is the second son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, older brother of former NFL quarterback Eli Manning, and uncle of Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.

He was named Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player-of-the-Year and Columbus (Ohio) Touchdown Club National Offensive Player-of-the-Year in 1993.

While at Newman, he began wearing the #18 jersey in honor of his older brother Cooper, who had to give up football due to spinal stenosis.

Younger brother Eli also wore the number when he became starting quarterback.

Newman has since retired the #18 jersey and it can be seen hanging in the school gym.

Manning was among the most sought after high school players in the country and was recruited by about 60 colleges, including Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and his father's alma mater Ole Miss.

Manning chose to play college football for the University of Tennessee Volunteers under head coach Phillip Fulmer.

Many fans were surprised that he did not pick the Ole Miss Rebels, for whom his father Archie played, and his parents received many angry phone calls and letters.

He became Tennessee's all-time leading passer with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns and won 39 of 45 games as a starter, breaking the Southeastern Conference (SEC) record for career wins.

As a freshman, Manning began the season as the third-string quarterback.

In the season opener against UCLA, he was one of three quarterbacks to come off the bench after starter Jerry Colquitt suffered a season-ending injury on the seventh play of the game.

However, he was not able to generate any offense, only handing the ball off three times, and was pulled from the game.

Two weeks later, in a 31–0 loss to the #1 Florida Gators, Manning completed his first collegiate pass.

During the season's fourth game, against Mississippi State, starter Todd Helton got injured and he took over.

The Vols lost 24–21, but Manning threw his first two collegiate touchdowns in the game.

He was named the team's starter and remained so for the rest of his college career.

In his first start, the following week against Washington State, the Vols won 10–9.

They won all but one of their remaining games, finishing the season 8–4 with a 45–23 victory over Virginia Tech in the 1994 Gator Bowl.

He finished his first collegiate season 89 of 144 for 1,141 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Manning and the Vols opened the 1995 season with victories over East Carolina and SEC rival Georgia before heading off to Gainesville to face off against the rival Gators.

Against Florida, he threw 326 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Vols to a 30–21 halftime lead.

However, the Gators outscored the Vols 41–7 in the second half, winning 62–37.

This was the Vols' only loss of the season, as they won their remaining eight regular season games, including a 41–14 win over rival Alabama.

The Vols defeated Ohio State by a score of 20–14 in the Citrus Bowl.

The Vols ended the season ranked third, and he came in sixth place in Heisman Trophy voting.

He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, winning the Maxwell, the Davey O'Brien, and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards as a senior en route to victory in the 1997 SEC Championship Game.

Manning was selected first overall in the 1998 NFL draft by the Colts and served as their starting quarterback from 1998 to 2010.

He helped transform the struggling Colts franchise into consistent playoff contenders, leading them to 11 playoff appearances, eight division titles, three AFC Championship Games, two Super Bowl appearances, and one championship title in Super Bowl XLI, the franchise's first in over three decades and first since relocating to Indianapolis.

Manning was also named Super Bowl MVP in the victory.

After undergoing neck surgery that sidelined him for the 2011 season, Manning was released by the Colts and signed with the Broncos.

Serving as the Broncos starting quarterback from 2012 to 2015, he helped them clinch their division each season and reach two Super Bowls.

Manning's career ended with a victory in Super Bowl 50, making him the first starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl for more than one franchise.

Manning holds many NFL records, including most MVP awards, quarterback first-team All-Pro selections, 4,000-yard passing seasons, single-season passing yards, and single-season passing touchdowns.

He is also third in career passing yards and career passing touchdowns.

Helping lead both the Colts and Broncos to two Super Bowls each, Manning is the only quarterback to have multiple Super Bowl starts with more than one franchise.

He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

Manning went to Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he led the Greenies football team to a 34–5 record during his three seasons as the starter.