Anyone that enjoys the NFL is familiar with Payton Manning. He is the son of legend Archie Manning and brother to Eli Manning who is the quarterback for the New York Giants. He was born March 24th, 1976. The love of football has always been a big part of this household. No one was surprised when he was a star quarterback in high school or when he got a scholarship to play for the University of Tennessee.
He worked hard on the field, going from the third string quarterback to the first guy out there. He was also able to complete his college studies in 3 years instead of 4. In 1998, he was the first overall draft pick of the NFL season by the Colts. He was on fire, setting 5 rookie records. In 2003 he earned his first MVP status, and did so again in 2004. In 2006, the Colts won the Super Bowl.
He was once again MVP in 2009 and the Colts made it to the Super Bowl. It was an exciting game down to the end of the last quarter, but the New Orleans Saints came out victorious. From 1998 until 2011, Manning was the quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. After a severe injury and surgery, it was questionable about him being able to play the game again at 100%.
The Colts weren’t willing to take that chance and didn’t renew his contract. The replaced that starting position with the #1 college draft pick, Andrew Luck. Peyton Manning is currently the quarterback for the Denver Broncos. His presence for the 2012 – 2013 gave the fans a boost and a great deal of morale for the team.
He is considered to be a strong leader. He has also been heavily involved in many charitable causes around the Denver area. His own charity is also going very strong, The Peyback Foundation. The goal is to help disadvantages children be able to play sports. Both of the Manning brothers were very helpful with raising money after Hurricane Katrina. The brothers get along very well and they have had to play against each other on the football field professionally now and then.
His salary is $18 million with plenty of additional incentives of bonuses for various types of wins including playoff games and a Super Bowl. He has been married to Ashley Thompson since 2001 and they have a set of twins – one boy and one girl.
image credits: flickr
