Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
Thousands of fans packed into the streets of downtown New York City, surging forward for a better view as Eli Manning held up the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy for them to see. The cheer that went up was almost deafening. In the city that never sleeps, everything had come to a standstill for one team and one man.
Just the day before, Eli had beaten the odds and led the New York Giants to a last-minute victory over the then-undefeated New England Patriots. The Patriots hadnt lost a single 2007 regular-season game and they were the clear favorites to win the Super Bowl. But in the end, the Giants and Eli stopped them cold. Its just surreal, Eli said to Sports Illustrated after the game in the locker room.
The next day, at the head of the Giants Super Bowl parade, Eli soaked it all in. The rush from the game had faded, but the glory was still there. It was a bitterly cold and rainy morning in February. But despite all of that, thousands of Giants fans had shown up to cheer on their team. The parade couldnt be stopped. MVP! MVP! the crowd cheered again and again. The whole team rolled through the avenues of New York City, finally stopping in front of City Hall. Giants players Plaxico Burress, Brandon Jacobs, and their coach Tom Coughlin were mobbed as well, but Eli Manning was definitely in the spotlight. As he smiled down at all of the fans from the top of the steps, it all finally caught up to him. The Giants had won the Super Bowl. He had done it. Eli signed autographs with his teammates as he made his way to meet the mayor. He wore a mile-wide smile on his face and a championship ring on his finger.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised all of the Giants that day for their 1714 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, but the New York Daily News reported that he had special words for Eli. On Sunday, he showed the world the heart of a true champion. After that, Eli made his own speech as Super Bowl MVP. I would not trade any moment for this moment right here, Eli said. Standing up here in this city, going to the parade, its been a true honor. Thank you.
It wasnt such a different scene from the one only a year before in Indianapolis. There, the colors were blue and white, the team was the Colts, and the MVP was Peyton Manning. In a year when the Colts were not expected to even make it to the playoffs, Peyton carried his team to their first Super Bowl since 1971, beating the Chicago Bears, 2917, in Super Bowl XLI. Thousands of fans showed up at the RCA Dome for the Colts victory celebration. Peytons skill as quarterback had made the win possible. He was the MVP, but Peyton remained humble. Ive never taken for granted what weve had, not for one single game, not one single practice, Peyton would say later to USA Today. Ive truly been blessed.
The Manning brothers had done it. Two brothers. Two back-to-back Super Bowl victories. Two back-to-back Super Bowl MVP awards. There were some who doubted them, but the Manning boys never let their critics get them down. They were always there for each other, no matter how hectic life became. And life for these two brothers from Louisiana was hectic indeed.
CHAPTER ONE
Growing Up Manning
Even when they were little, the Manning boys werent like everyone else. Their father, Archie Manning, was a famous NFL quarterback, and in the Manning household, football meant everything. They saw their fathers face every day on billboards and TV. When the season was going well, people would cheer wherever they went, but when the season was going poorly, the Mannings couldnt escape the crowds displeasure. No matter what was happening, football affected everything in their lives. It was a part of who they were.
Archie Manning grew up in Mississippi. His family didnt have a lot of money, but Archie worked hard in school and eventually won a football scholarship to the University of Mississippi. Also known as Ole Miss, the college was one of the biggest football schools in the south. Archie was extremely motivated, a talented football player, and he was soon leading his team as the Ole Miss starting quarterback.
In 1970, Archie led the Ole Miss Rebels to a Sugar Bowl victory, and he was named as an All-American player while in college. Archie met his future wife, Olivia, while they were both students at Ole Miss. Olivia was very supportive of Archies dreams to play pro ball. Archie also excelled at baseball, and the Atlanta Braves tried to draft him after college. But Archies true love was football, and he turned the Braves down to register for the NFL Draft.
The New Orleans Saints drafted Archie in 1971 to be their starting quarterback. The Saints were a relatively new team to the NFL and they didnt have a very good record, but they thought for sure that a talented new quarterback like Archie could turn their luck around.
The Mannings had always been a tight-knit family, and Archie was sad to leave them behind in Mississippi. Luckily, Archie wouldnt be alone in New Orleans. He married his college sweetheart, Olivia, and the couple bought a beautiful house in the historic Garden District of New Orleans. Archie was ready to make a name for himself as a quarterback, a husband, and as a father! Archie and Olivias first son, Cooper, was born in 1974. Two years later, little Peyton Manning was born on March 24, 1976.
Peyton weighed twelve pounds at birth and by the time he was two years old, he was already busting out of his clothes and getting into his parents hair. Peyton may have been a bundle of energy, but he was also a good kid and was very respectful of his parents.
Peyton learned his good manners from watching his father. I got to watch my dad as a kid, how he handled himself after games with fans, with the media. I can remember, as a kid, just how patient he was, and how courteous he was to his fans, Peyton said, years later, to the Academy of Achievement. It really made an impression on Peyton that, even though his father was famous, Archie never let himself get too big to spend time with his fans.
Still, growing up the son of a famous football player wasnt always easy.
Archie was a loving father, but playing for the Saints meant that he wasnt home very often. Between practices, games, public appearances, charity work, endorsements, and travel on the road, Archie was a very busy man. Many times, Peyton would have to wait until Sunday to see his fatherand that was when Archie was on the field during a game! But whenever Archie was home, he always made time for his sons. Dont ever get too proud or too old to say that you love me and to say that you love each other, Archie would say, according to the Academy of Achievement, scooping up his boys into his arms. Cooper and Peyton really looked up to Archie, and they were supportive no matter how their father did on the field.
The fans in the Superdome werent always as kind. Over seventy thousand people would cram into it to watch the Saints play every week, and they made their presence known. They would throw things at the players and shout out cruel names when the games didnt go well. Even though Archie led the NFL in completions and yards for a quarterback in only his second season, he was still the target for a lot of angry fans. During his time with the team, the Saints never had a winning season and the fans were quick to blame the quarterback. But Archie wasnt the problemthe team just couldnt come together. In fact, Archie was named NFL MVP in 1978, and made the Pro Bowl in 1978 and 1979. He was playing wellit just wasnt enough.
