Peyton's Childhood
In Manning family, football meant everything. Peyton’s father Archie Manning was a famous quarterback for New Orleans Saints.
The Manning kids were used to see their father’s face on billboard and TV every day. If the season was going well, people would
cheer for his dad, but if not the Mannings would have to go through a hard time. But Archie had his own way of handling those
tough times. Peyton learned good manners from his dad. Peyton and his brothers were supportive to his dad no matter what he on
the field. For them it was like getting a superhero dad. Archie did everything he could for his team to win, but it just wasn’t
enough to win the championship. In fact, Archie was named NFL MVP in 1976 and he also made it to the pro bowl in 1978 and 1979.
On the field whenever Archie made a mistake, Peyton had to listen to the crowd’s boo. Even though Archie was a good quarterback,
he was always blamed for losing the game.
Peyton caught the football bug in his early life. For Peyton sports was one kind of tradition. He liked playing and
watching football and other games as a kid. He used to play football and other sports in the backyard. Whenever Peyton
wanted to play, his older brother Cooper and his dad would go out and play with him and make him feel as if he is part of the team.
1980 was a difficult year for Peyton, as his dad’s team once again missed the playoffs and was blamed for it despite of
Archie’s excellent performance. Peyton was only five, and was too sensitive to handle that situation. Changes were in action,
Archie became quarterback for the Houston Oilers after being traded by New Orleans Saints. Archie was a couple of years away
from his retirement so he didn’t move his family from New Orleans.
Staying in New Orleans Peyton, Cooper, and Eli (youngest of all) continued their happy childhood in Louisiana. They used to
play all sorts of sports in their backyard. There was a cutting edge competition between all three brothers. They also used
to sing national anthem before they start the game. Despite of a strong sibling rivalry between all three brothers, they were
pretty much close to each other.
Archie finally retired from pro football in 1984. He wanted his sons to make their own mistakes and learn from it. And so they did.
Archie’s story became the learning lesson for his kids and helped them shine out like a star in pro football world.