Archie Manning

Wherever he goes, Archie Manning is recognized as an ambassador of goodwill and a molder of people. He was awarded an athletic scholarship at the University of Mississippi, where he was named an All-American Quarterback and is the only Ole Miss player to have his number retired. He was voted Mississippi’s Greatest All-Time Athlete in 1992 and was recently named Mississippi’s Most Popular Athlete of the Century. He was elected to the 50-Year All-South Team (1940-1990), named one of the Top 25 Athletes of the Century in Louisiana and he and his son Peyton were named among the 100 All-Time Greatest College Football Players. Archie was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame and is a member of Halls of Fame in Louisiana and Mississippi. He received the Spirit of Good Sports Award from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, and the U.S. Jaycees named him one of 10 Outstanding Young Americans. In 1971, he was the second player picked in the NFL Draft as the number one draft choice of the New Orleans Saints. He set Saints passing records, played in two Pro Bowls and was named the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1978. In addition, he was the first player in Saints history to be inducted into the Louisiana Superdome Wall of Fame. He concluded his 15-year career in 1985. Manning was recently selected as one of 10 outstanding New Orleanians by Family Service of Greater New Orleans and named Homblower of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America. He currently serves in public relations and consulting capacities for several local, regional and national companies. He hosts three Archie Manning Cystic Fibrosis benefit golf tournaments in Louisiana and Mississippi and is active in a wide variety of charitable and civic causes. His community activities include Louisiana Special Olympics, the New Orleans Area Boy Scout Council, the Salvation Army, United Way Speakers Bureau, NOKIA Sugar Bowl Committee, New Orleans Sports Foundation, and National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Board of Directors. Most recently, Archie and his son Peyton have written a book entitled “Manning: A Father, His Sons and A Football Legacy.”