Archibold Elisha Manning III 1949
Major Works
- Manning: A Father, His Sons, and A Football Legacy (by Archie and Peyton Manning with John Underwood)
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Archie Manning : A Biography
By Bryan Nichols (SHS)
Archibald Elisha Manning III was born May 19, 1949, to Sis
and Buddy Manning in Drew, Mississippi (Manning 1).
He grew up in the small town during the 1950's and 1960's.
His father Buddy worked at a farm equipment store and earned
only $6,000 per year (Manning 2). His mother was a homemaker.
He had an older sister named Pam.
During his adolescence, Manning played
organized sports. Baseball was his first love, then came
football, and last came basketball. (Manning 1). " Manning
recalls plowing a baseball field in his backyard so that his
friends and he could play on a daily basis (Manning 4).
Manning played on the varsity baseball team in the seventh grade
at age twelve. He went on to play six years on varsity,
and all of the people in Drew thought that he was going to sign
a pro contract with a major league baseball team. He also
started to play pee-wee football in the fifth grade where he
played running back (Manning 2). He then began to play football
in high school where he discovered that he wasn't gifted enough
to play running back.
As a sophomore, Manning started at quarterback
off and on with a career marred with many injuries. His
senior year of high school he was offered football scholarships
to Tulane University, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State University,
but he was also drafted to the major leagues out of high school
(Manning 1). He had to make a tough decision, but he wouldn't
let baseball get in the way of an education .
Manning chose to go to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
on an athletic scholarship in Oxford, Mississippi. (Manning
2). He signed with the school in December of 1966 before
he graduated from high school in May of 1967 (Manning 3).
Photo right: Archie's
son, Eli Manning
When he had got to Ole Miss in college,
Manning played on the freshman squad all year long. Then
the following spring he was named starting quarterback by his
coach, Johnny Vaught (Manning 1). Tragedy struck when,
in the summer before his sophomore year, his father committed
suicide while the rest of the family was attending a wedding.
For some reason, Archie decided to come home after the wedding
and not attend the reception with his mother and sister (Manning
4). He decided to go to his father's room as soon as he
got in the house where he discovered his father lying
in a pool of blood. After this incident Archie decided
to stay home and get a job so that he could take care of his
family, but his mother made him go back to school to finish
his education (Manning 3). Manning went back to Ole Miss
and quarterbacked his team to a Sugar Bowl berth. During
his junior and senior seasons in college, he earned All American
first team and Ap/UPI All American. During his junior
season, he met his future wife Olivia Williams from Philadelphia,
Mississippi.
In April of 1971, Manning was drafted
by the New Orleans Saints as the second pick in the draft (Manning
3). He played with the Saints for eleven years. He endured
many coaching and personnel changes during his long stay in
New Orleans (Manning 1). In 1974 Archie and Olivia had
their first son, Cooper Manning. Then came Peyton Manning
(1976) and last came Eli Manning (1981). In 1978 Manning
was named the NFL Most Valuable Player. Amazingly, he was also
a pro bowler for two seasons. After being traded to the
Houston Oilers and playing there for one year, he finished his
career with the Minnesota Vikings after  being
forced to retire because of a thyroid disease in 1985 (Manning
4).
Since retiring from football, Manning
has worked for Morgan Keegan brokerage and has done radio broadcasts
for the Saints (Manning 3). Today Archie broadcasts for
several companies and does public radio (PR) (Manning 4).
Archie and his wife Olivia reside in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Archie Manning is currently a spokesman and consultant for a
number of major companies.
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Timeline
May 1949- Archie Manning was born in Drew, Mississippi.
December 1966- Manning signed with the University of Ole Miss
1967- Manning was drafted to play baseball
in the major leagues
May 1967- Manning graduated from Drew High School
1968- His father Buddy committed suicide
April 1971- Manning was drafted by New Orleans Saints as the 2nd pick
May 1971- Archie graduated from University
of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi
May 1971- He married Olivia Williams
October 1974- Cooper Manning was born
1976- Peyton Manning was born
1978- Archie won Most Valuable Player
in the NFL
1981- Eli Manning was born
1985- Archie retired from the NFL
1988- He received the New Orleans Outstanding Sports Citizen
1992- Voted Mississippi's all-time athlete
1992- Son Cooper graduated from high school
1992- Cooper played with the Ole Miss Rebels
1993- Cooper's career was cut short by a spinal cord injury
1994- Archie received the Spirit of Good
Sports Award from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters
Association
1994- His mother Sis died at the age of 94
1998- Son Peyton graduated from the University of Tennessee
1999- Son Peyton was drafted to the NFL by the Indianapolis Colts
2000-His son Eli graduated from high school
2000-Son Eli played with the University of Mississippi Rebels,
Oxford, Mississippi
2001-Archie is a TV analyst for CBS
2006--Son Peyton leads Indianapolis Colts to Superbowl win
over Chicago Bears
2007--Son Eli leads Giants to win over Patriots in Super Bowl
XLII on February 3,
2008. Eli received Super Bowl MVP Award as did Peyton the year
before.
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A Review
of Manning: A Father, His Sons, and A Football Legacy
by Bryan Nichols (SHS)
Manning, A Father, His Sons, and
A Football Legacy is an interesting and heart-moving
autobiography co-written by John Underwood and Archie and Peyton
Manning. Archie, who tells his life story in rural Mississippi
first hand, is the primary author of the book. He lets
you know everything in depth as though you are one-on-one with
him guiding you through the entire book. Even though this
is his first book he has written, he has written a good book.
The book is filled with sports excitement that is good for a
sports enthusiast.
Manning A Father, His Sons and
A Football Legacy is about the life and struggles of
Archie Manning. He talks about how he grew up in a small rural
town called Drew, Mississippi, and how life was in college
at Ole Miss. He also lets you know about his struggling
with his father's death, going on to be a star football player
in college, and his making it to the NFL. The climax will
leave the reader stunned and shocked.
Archie has a natural style. He
goes back and forth from event to event and keeps the reader
guessing as to what is coming. Archie Manning tells it
as he knows the story best.
I enjoyed the book because I am an avid
football fan, and I just like reading success stories.
The main thing that I like about Archie is that he doesn't hold
anything back from the reader. He goes through every single
detail so that while you are reading the book you won't get
bored.
The settings for this story are Drew,
Mississippi; Oxford, Mississippi; New Orleans, Louisiana; Houston,
Texas; and Minneapolis, Minnesota; but the main setting is Drew
where Archie was born. Manning shows how it was difficult for
his family and him to live on the $6,000 that his father made
working at the farm machinery store that his father ran.
Between pages 184-185 there are some
photographs of Archie and members of his family that begin with
his dad Buddy and end with his middle son, Peyton.
Manning writes about how his NFL career
had been so promising at first as a Saint and ended so abruptly
as a Viking. Throughout the book
he talks about all the people he met during his life.
These are coaches, owners, and players. At one point,
he becomes obsessed with football, and his parents asked him
to quit.
I think this is a wonderful book.
However, if you don't follow football or sports figures, this
book might not excite you. I really recommend it.
Also, Manning talks about the lives of his sons and how they
grew as little boys and how they are now excelling at what they
are doing now.
For all the sports enthusiasts, this book is a gotta-read. Manning's story lets you know how things were back then and how they are in present day.
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Related Websites
This web site is Peyton
Manning's site.
NFL
stats for Peyton Manning.
NFL
page for Eli Manning.
RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE
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Bibliography
Manning, Archie Online. Internet. 24 April 01. Available http:// www.deltabusinessjournal.com/issues/archives/12-00/manning.html
Manning, Archie. Online. Internet. 25 April 01. Available http:// www.sportstarusa.com/football/manning-archei/html
Manning, Archie and Peyton, with Underwood John. Manning A Father, His Sons, and A Football Legacy. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2000.
“Peyton Manning.” Online. Internet. 4 April 01. Available http:// www.footballology.com/bookarticle.php3?ArticleID=7
Watkins, Billy Manning puts it all on the line in new book. Clarion Ledger. 4 April 01.
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