Peyton Manning
Childhood Of Celebrities : Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning was born on March 24, 1976, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the second of Archie and Olivia Manning’s three sons. Cooper, the oldest, arrived in 1974. Eli came into the world five years after Peyton. All three boys looked like athletes from the time they could crawl. At 12-plus pounds at birth, Peyton appeared he might be headed for a career as an offensive lineman.
The size of the Manning kids wasn’t surprising given their genes. Archie was one of the most celebrated athletes in the history of the South. A legend at the University of Mississippi, he played quarterback from 1968 to 1970 for the Rebels, where he was twice voted an All-American. He then became the top pick of the New Orleans Saints, embarking on a star-crossed 14-year NFL career that also saw him suit up for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings. A hard-hitting shortstop in his youth, Archie could have chosen professional baseball as a career path, having been drafted by the Atlanta Braves after graduating from Drew High School—and later by the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox.
Olivia was a perfect match for Archie, who was treated like royalty wherever he went in the South. She had been named Homecoming Queen at Ole Miss in 1970.Like his dad, Peyton loved football. By his third birthday, he was tossing the pigskin with Cooper. They had plenty of room to practice in the yard of the family’s huge home—built in 1853—in the historic Garden District of New Orleans. Eli eventually joined his brothers in their games.
For Peyton, childhood was perfect. He idolized his father and dreamed of being a star college quarterback. The Mannings were a close-knit bunch. Trips across the state to visit Grandma Manning in Drew, or to see Olivia’s parents in the town of Philadelphia, were always eagerly anticipated.
Peyton’s only bad memories came when professional athletics intruded on the family’s homelife. The Saints were the laughingstock of the NFL, and despite some great individual seasons, Archie often bore the brunt of the fans’ ire. In 1982, after he was traded to the Oilers, Archie talked it over with Olivia and they decided the family would stay in New Orleans. Peyton and brothers missed their dad terribly.
Archie bounced between the Oilers and Vikings the next four years. In 1984, his last season in the NFL, Olivia and the boys followed him to Minneapolis. Peyton hoped to get his first taste of organized football there, but he was too young for the fifth-grade squad.
The Mannings returned to New Orleans the following year, and Peyton looked forward to playing football for Isidore Newman School, one of Louisiana’s top private schools. There was only one problem: Newman cancelled its sixth-grade program. Finally, in 1988, Peyton got his chance to put on the pads for the first time. When asked to list his favorite positions, he wrote down “quarterback” and “defensive back.”
Years of watching from the sidelines had given Peyton lots of time to brush up on his football knowledge. A trivia buff, he was absolutely crazy about the college game. For him, nothing compared to the SEC. He listened to audio tapes of his dad’s college games and quizzed his little brother on the conference’s storied past. When Eli couldn’t answer a question, he usually received a pounding.
Though life in the Manning house revolved around sports, Archie and Olivia never pushed their kids to be stars. In fact, Archie attempted to coach Peyton just once—in youth-league basketball—and the results were disastrous. Peyton chewed out his dad for stocking the team with his friends, instead of the best players available.
Cooper was the source of part of Peyton’s competitive fire. The two waged regular battles, fighting over who was better, smarter or tougher. Despite their sibling rivalry, however, deep down they admired each other immensely.
When Peyton won the starting quarterback job at Newman as a sophomore 1991, it was Cooper who paved the way. He switched to receiver his senior year, even though he was set to call the signals for the Greenies, the defending Class 2A state champs. The move paid big dividends. In the season opener, Peyton completed nine passes to Cooper in the first half alone. Newman went on to a 12-2 record and advanced to the semifinals of the playoffs. On the year, Peyton threw for 23 touchdowns, a baker’s dozen to his brother. To this day, he says he has never had more fun on the football field.
Peyton was also a high achiever in the classroom. His parents stressed education above all else, and he happily complied. A hard-working student, he rarely brought home a report card with anything but A’s.
Peyton workd just as hard when it came to football. He watched film religiously, usually of pro games, and also hit the weight room. The teenager was developing as a player in ways foreign to most kids his age. Eli still remembers how much his hands hurt after having a catch with Peyton. His older brother always rifled the ball with amazing velocity.
Peyton enjoyed another marvelous campaign in 1992, throwing for 30 touchdowns. The season, however, was bittersweet. Earlier in the year Cooper, who had accepted a scholarship to Ole Miss, had been diagnosed with a rare disease called spinal stenosis. Doctors said he would never play football again. Peyton was devastated. He wrote a letter to his brother telling him just how he felt.
Peyton overcame the pain of his brother’s illness to have a season for the ages his senior year. Connecting on 63 percent of his attempts, he passed for 2,703 yards and 39 touchdowns. Peyton was honored as the Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player of the Year and the Columbus (Ohio) Touchdown Club National Offensive Player of the Year.
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