Manning, Peyton (1976-…), ranks as one of the greatest quarterbacks in American professional football history. Manning, who played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, became known for his accuracy as a passer and the strength of his arm. In 2013, he set NFL single-season records with 55 touchdown passes and 5,477 yards passing. In 2014, Manning broke Brett Favre’s record of 508 career touchdown passes. Manning ended his career in 2016 with 539 touchdown passes, a record until Drew Brees broke it in 2019. He held the regular season career passing yards record of 71,940 yards until Brees broke it in 2018. Manning was named the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2004-2005, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2013-2014 seasons and shared the award with quarterback Steve McNair of the Tennessee Titans in 2003-2004. Manning became the first NFL player to be named MVP five times.
Peyton Williams Manning was born on March 24, 1976, in New Orleans. He was a quarterback while attending the University of Tennessee from 1994 to 1997, earning All-American honors his senior year. The Colts selected him as the first player in the 1998 NFL draft. In his first year in the NFL, Manning set records for a rookie for passes attempted (575), passes completed (326), and yards gained passing (3,739). The rookie passes attempted and passes completed records were broken by Sam Bradford in 2010 with 590 and 354, respectively. The rookie yards gained passing record was broken by Cam Newton in 2011, with 4,051.
Manning played for Indianapolis from his entry into the NFL until the Colts released him in 2012. He led Indianapolis to victory in the 2007 Super Bowl and was named the Most Valuable Player in that game. After having started 227 straight regular season and playoff games, Manning missed the entire 2011 season following neck surgery in May and spinal fusion surgery in September. Shortly after being released by Indianapolis, he signed to play with the Denver Broncos. In 2016, Manning was the quarterback on the Denver team that won the Super Bowl. He announced his retirement as a player in March 2016. Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Archie Manning, Peyton’s father, was a star quarterback at the University of Mississippi and played in the NFL from 1971 to 1984. Eli Manning, Peyton’s younger brother, attended the University of Mississippi from 1999 to 2003, where he was an All-American quarterback his senior year. Eli played for the New York Giants of the NFL from 2004 to 2019.
