Peyton Manning

Bio

Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, the NFL’s only five-time Most Valuable Player and a 14-time Pro Bowl selection, has earned his place among the greatest quarterbacks in league history as one of the leaders in nearly every statistical passing category.  A first-ballot Hall of Fame selection, Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021.

During the 2015/2016 season, Manning led the Denver Broncos to a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, making him the first starting quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with two different teams.

Manning entered the NFL in 1998 with the Indianapolis Colts as the first overall draft pick. When he retired in 2016, Manning held numerous records including the most career touchdown passes in league history in addition to ranking first all-time in completions and passing yards. Named a first-team All-Pro selection by the Associated Press on seven occasions, no quarterback in NFL history had more playoff appearances or 300-yard passing games than Manning when he retired.

In 2013, Manning was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. In his first year with the Broncos in 2012—and after missing the entire 2011 campaign with a neck injury – Manning finished as the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year and runner-up for the league’s MVP.

During his first 14 NFL seasons with the Colts, Manning set club records in nearly every career passing category. He led the franchise to its first World Championship in 36 years during the 2006 season, earning MVP honors in the Colts’ 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. In 2017, the Colts honored Manning by retiring his number 18 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

In early 2020, Manning was named to the NFL’s 100 All-Time Team, one of only 10 quarterbacks to earn a spot on this iconic list.

During his time at the University of Tennessee, Manning epitomized the term “student-athlete.” He claimed 43 records at the school, conference and national levels while graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors. He led Tennessee to an SEC Championship as a senior in 1997 and earned consensus All-America honors. Following his senior season, Manning was honored with the Sullivan Award for the nation’s top amateur athlete based on character, leadership, athletic ability and the ideals of amateurism. In 2005, the Volunteers retired his number 16 and in 2017, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Manning was named to ESPN’s College Football 150: College Football’s 150 Greatest Players list announced in January 2020. Manning endows the Peyton Manning Scholarship at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, awarding four-year scholarships to four incoming freshmen each year.  To date, there have been 45 scholarships.

Manning attended Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, where he was named Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player of the Year and Columbus (Ohio) Touchdown Club National Offensive Player of the Year as a senior. A native of New Orleans, he was named the No. 1 greatest athlete to hail from the state of Louisiana by The Times-Picayune and was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.  Manning was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (2019) and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (2018).

He has also received numerous awards for his philanthropic work off the field and was honored as the recipient of the Byron “Whizzer” White Humanitarian Award and the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2005, the Bart Starr Award in 2015, and the Lincoln Medal in 2017.

Manning is a longtime supporter of The Pat Summitt Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. In 2012, Manning joined The Pat Summitt Foundation Advisory Board and co-chairs several fundraising events throughout the year.  He also sits on the American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet – lending a hand during disaster relief.

He and his wife, Ashley, established the PeyBack Foundation in 1999 to promote the future success of disadvantaged youth by assisting programs that provide leadership and growth opportunities for children at risk. Since its inception, the PeyBack Foundation has provided millions of dollars through its grants and programs.  In 2020, through the PeyBack Foundation, Manning endowed a total of nine (9) scholarships at three (3) HBCU schools in Tennessee and five (5) in Louisiana. Manning is a champion for the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent (Indiana); serving as an ambassador, advocate and fundraiser. Peyton and Ashley co-chair the signature fundraising event for the hospital each spring, which raises money to expand and enhance departments and services offered.

At the end of 2020, Manning founded Omaha Productions, an entertainment company that produces unscripted and scripted programming as well as documentaries, digital programming, branded content and podcasts. Omaha focuses on developing content that will unify and uplift. In partnership with ESPN, Omaha launched Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli. The Monday Night Football simulcast airing on ESPN2 and ESPN Plus produced a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Series. Manning also won the 2023 Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Personality/Event Analyst for his work on the broadcast. Omaha has since produced alternative telecasts for college football, golf and the UFC.  In 2019, Manning debuted as the host and executive producer of Peyton’s Places on ESPN Plus. Omaha’s first project was the expansion of the Places franchise, with Manning serving as executive producer of the series as it spread into other verticals including college football, fight sports, baseball, basketball, tennis, hockey and soccer. Additionally, the company has series at A+E Networks, NBCUniversal, HISTORY and Netflix, including Netflix’s upcoming Quarterback, a high-level access documentary series tracking NFL quarterbacks throughout a season.  Manning balances these projects while continuing his iconic commercial partnerships, many of which are produced by Omaha, and pursuing various other business relationships.

Manning’s father, Archie, was an All-American at the University of Mississippi in 1969 and 1970 and had a 14-year playing career in the NFL with New Orleans (1971-82), Houston (1982-83) and Minnesota (1983-84). His brother, Eli, also attended Ole Miss and was named the MVP of Super Bowls XLII and XLVI with the New York Giants.

Manning and his family reside in Colorado.