Peyton Manning: Biography, Facts, and Stats

• Buffer
• Tweet

Peyton Manning was born on March 24, 1976, to Archie and Olivia Manning in New Orleans, Louisiana.  He was the middle child, born after his brother Cooper and before brother Eli, who came along in 1981.  Currently serving as the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning has always known football as part of his life.

Peyton Manning and the Manning Football Family

Peyton Manning grew up around professional football, as his father Archie was a quarterback for the University of Mississippi, and played for various NFL teams throughout the 1970s and 1980s.  As young children, the Manning boys were often allowed to tag along to watch football practice when their father was playing for the New Orleans Saints.

Though Peyton Manning grew up in a football family, he played a variety of sports, including basketball and baseball.  He kept returning to football, however, crediting his father for instilling in him a love of the sport, without pressuring or pushing him in that direction.  In his sophomore year at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, Louisiana,  Peyton Manning earned the starting quarterback position on the football team.

While Peyton Manning served as the leader of the football team, his older brother Cooper was playing on the team as well, in the wide receiver position.  The two boys practiced relentlessly on and off the field, leading the Isidore Newman football team to the class 2A state high school football championship.

Peyton Manning’s Career at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville

While Cooper was eventually diagnosed with a spinal condition that ended his football career while playing for Ole Miss, Peyton Manning would have a different fate.  Though much pressure was applied for Peyton Manning to play for his father’s alma mater, the University ofMississippi (Ole Miss), Peyton decided to play for the University of Tennessee at Knoxville instead.  He later explained in interviews that he wanted the challenge of having to prove himself in Tennessee, whereas going to Ole Miss would have been the easier route.

Prior to arriving to play for the Tennessee Volunteers, Peyton Manning pored over their archive of footage and the playbooks, a move that would eventually pay off.  While he sat mostly on the bench his freshman year, an injury to the Vols’ starting quarterback forced Peyton Manning, and the other freshman backup, Brandon Stewart, to share the responsibilities of leading the team.  Over the next seven games, Manning led the team to six victories and secured the Tennessee Volunteers a berth in the Gator Bowl, where they easily defeated Virginia Tech.

The next three years, Manning served as the starting quarterback and led the team to impressive victories, including back-to-back wins at the 1995 and 1996 Citrus Bowl, as well as an Orange Bowl appearance in 1997.  He also led the team to the 1997 Eastern SEC Division Championship.

Peyton Manning Goes Pro – The NFL History of Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning excelled academically, finishing all of his bachelor’s degree requirements (as a communications major) in just three years, and holding a GPA of 3.6.  While many teams in the NFL were interested in seeing Manning graduate early and play professionally, he elected to complete his senior year of college.  Later, he explained on his website, “My college experience was a really good one, so I decided to stay all four years. I just wanted to enjoy being a college senior. For some reason people had a very hard time believing that.”

While many doubted this decision, it ended up being the right move for Peyton Manning.  In 1998, he was the number one pick in the NFL draft and began his career with the Indianapolis Colts. Interestingly, the man who served as head coach for the Colts, Jim Mora, was an old family friend who had watched Peyton toss a football around as a child.

Peyton Manning’s rookie year in the NFL wasn’t what everyone had hoped.  The Colts finished with a disappointing 3 -13 record.  However, over the next few years, the dedicated Manning  persevered to bring his team to the AFC (American Football Conference) division championship five time.

On December 24, 2004, Payton Manning broke an NFL record previously help by Dan Marino when he completed his forty-ninth touchdown pass in one season.  The elite quarterback went on to set additional records, including becoming the only player to pass for more than four thousand yards in six consecutive seasons, the only player to score at least four touchdowns in five consecutive games, and the only quarterback to start in every single game of his NFL career.

Fun Facts About Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning was awarded the the Bryon “Whizzer” White Humanitarian Award in 2005.  The award, named for Supreme Court Justics and former NFL football player Byron White, was established in 1967 and is awarded to players who routinely give back to their communities.

In 1999, Peyton Manning established the PeyBack Foundation, which aims to provide leadership and growth opportunities for at-risk children.  According to the PeyBack Foundaiton website, the foundation has donated more than $1.3 million since its inception.

Peyton Manning married his long-time girlfriend Ashely Thompson in 2001.  They reside in Indianapolis, Indiana year-round.

Peyton Manning’s younger brother Eli is also a starting quarterback in the NFL.  All of the Manning men participate in  a family-owned and managed football camp called the Manning Passing Academy.

Peyton Manning Stats

Because Peyton Manning is still playing football at the time of publication, the following stats are career highlights and are not intended to be complete.

Throughout his career, through the 2009 – 2010 football season, Peyton Manning has:

• Made 6,531 passing attempts
• Completed 4,232 of those attmptes for a 64.8% completion rate, resulting in 50,128 yards for the Indianapolis Colts
• Averaged 7.7 yards per pass and 261.1 yards per game
• Scored 366 touchdowns, including the 49 touchdowns he scored in 2004
• Been sacked 215 times

Peyton Manning is 6’5″ tall and weighs 230 pounds.  He will begin his 13th season in the NFL in 2010.

Resources About Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning Biography Information from the Academy of Achievement

The PeyBack Foundation Website

Resource by AnnaBelle

Annalise Kaylor is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant specializing in search engine optimized content for the web. As a writer, her work has appeared across the United States in print ads for Whirlpool, Maytag, Home Depot, and Lowe's, among others. As a consultant, she has worked primarily in the education sector, helping universities increase their web visibility and construct and implement social media strategy. Annalise is an avid reader, knitter, organic gardener and baker, as well as the author of the popular baking blog, Knead To Be Loaved. Annalise enjoys fly fishing, camping, and hiking.

Related Research For Teachers, Students, and Kids