Peyton Manning has certainly left his mark on the NFL and on the sport of football as a whole. He holds various league-wide records, has carefully maintained and upheld an exemplary reputation amidst some troublesome allegations and is simply one of the best quarterbacks of our generation. Rumors began spiraling about after the Bronco’s Super Bowl XLVII win with regard to whether or not that game would be the last of Manning’s career. Everyone’s suspicions were proved right this past Monday at a press conference where Manning confirmed his retirement in a brief thirteen-minute speech. He simply stated: “There’s just something about 18 years; 18 is a good number, and today I retired from pro football,” in those short words accompanied by gracious "thank you"s and sincere memories, Peyton Manning allowed the world to hear directly from him that this particular chapter in his life is over.
The Manning name has been common in household conversations for a while now, starting with Archie Manning, the patriarch of the family who played several seasons at quarterback in the NFL. It was almost a given that his children, Cooper, Peyton and Eli, would excel in the sport.
Peyton Manning started his career like most, with a love for the game and a competitive edge. It was this attitude and mentality that guided him to become a top tier contributor at Isidore Newman High School and thus ranked as the eleventh football recruit in the nation during his senior campaign. He brought his talents to the University of Tennessee, and it was there that he truly developed as a player, set approximately 42 school and conference records with passing for a total of 11,201 yards, connecting for 89 touchdowns and registering for 863 completions. In short, he showed he had what it took to be a strong contender in the NFL.
In the 1998 NFL draft, Manning was selected as the first overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts. It was here that he would start his 18-year journey in the league. Obviously his journey wasn’t perfect and he had to rise over adversity such as injuries and unsuccessful playoff runs. In the same token it was in this environment where Manning truly developed and blossomed as a player and avid learner of the game, not only bettering himself, but also those around him.
This exceptional quarterback ended up being a pivotal playmaker for both the Colts and the Broncos. His 18-year professional career was filled with a plethora of accolades such as, being a 14-time Pro Bowl Selection, seven-time first-team All-Pro, leading the NFL in passing touchdowns with 539, passing yards with 71,940, tying with Brett Favre in quarterback wins with 186, boasting a 200-92 all time record and is a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Manning’s success wasn’t just in athletics but also came about through community service with his foundation, Peyback. Peyback was developed in 1999 and looked to encourage and give the tools for underprivileged children to succeed. Organizations like this are so important because children look up to athletes as role models and heroes To see them giving back to the community and wanting more for people in need, holds so much more weight than winning a football game, but unfortunately doesn’t get as much attention.
Peyton Manning has left an incredible and substantial mark on the game of football, the NFL and many people within his world. His retirement was inevitable, but all of his achievements that he picked up on the way are incredibly admirable. Peyton, you will definitely be missed on the field, but we all know your work in this world is not even close to being done yet.
