Archie Manning
Elisha Archibald Manning III (born
May 19,
1949) is an
American former
quarterback in professional
American football. He was previously a star college player at
Ole Miss from
1968-
1970; in his junior season he finished fourth in the voting for the
Heisman Trophy, and in his senior season he finished third.
In the first national prime-time broadcast of a college football game (
1969), Manning threw for 436 yards and three
touchdowns, also rushing for 104 yards, in a heartbreaking 33-32 loss to
Alabama. But despite his considerable talent, the rest of the team was not at his level, and the Rebels only had a record of 15-7 in his last two years. In his college career, he threw for 4,753 yards and 56 touchdowns, also running for 823 yards; he scored 14 touchdowns in
1969. In both
1969 and
1970 he was named to the All-
SEC team, and his #18 jersey was retired by Ole Miss. Manning was elected to the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Manning's legacy is honored to this day on the campus of Ole Miss which features speed limits of 18 mph for all on-campus streets.
After college he was selected in the
1971 NFL draft by the
New Orleans Saints with the second overall selection. The Saints were at that time – and throughout Manning's stay there – one of the worst teams in the league, and Manning's supporters have often said that this was the reason that his career was less successful than it otherwise might have been; while his critics have put a considerable amount of blame on him for the team's lack of success. It seems very likely that if
sacks had been an official statistic throughout his NFL career, there would probably have been more recorded against him than against any other player.
Manning played for the Saints for ten full seasons, none of them winning. In
1972 he led the league in pass attempts and completions, and led the NFC in passing yards, though the team's record was only 2-11-1; in
1978 he was named the NFC Player of the Year by
UPI, despite the team's 7-9 record. That same year Archie was also named All-NFC by both the UPI and The Sporting News.
Manning was selected to the
Pro Bowl in
1978 and
1979. He went on to conclude his career with the
Houston Oilers (1982-83) and the
Minnesota Vikings (1983-84), where the teams posted a collective record of 6-35. He ended his 13-year career having completed 2011 of 3642 passes for 23,911 yards and 125 touchdowns, with 173 interceptions. He also rushed for 2197 yards and 18 touchdowns. His 2011 completions ranked 17th in NFL history upon his retirement.
Manning continues to make his home in the
New Orleans area, and is involved as an analyst with the Saints'
radio and preseason
television broadcasts. He can also be seen as a commentator for
CBS Sports' college football broadcasts. He is the father of three sons, Cooper Manning,
Peyton Manning and
Eli Manning. Peyton Manning is the current quarterback of the
Indianapolis Colts and was the first selection in
1998 NFL draft. Eli Manning, like his father, played quarterback at Ole Miss and was the first selection in the
2004 NFL draft, being traded from the
San Diego Chargers (who selected him with the first pick) to the
New York Giants. Cooper played with Peyton in high school as a receiver, but his playing career was effectively ended by an injury. Archie Manning has been utilized as a
commercial spokesman for products in the Southeast, where he remains a favorite with many fans.
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College Football News: 100 Greatest Players (#18)
