Personal Bio

Full name is Peyton Williams Manning ... born in New Orleans, Louisiana ... attended Isidore Newman High School ... helped team to 34-5 record during three seasons as starter ... named Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player-of-the-Year and Columbus (Ohio) Touchdown Club National Offensive Player-of-the-Year as senior ... named 1997 NCAA Top VIII for Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete in Athletics, Academics and Community Service ... named one of 10 outstanding young Americans by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce on January 9, 1999, in Washington, DC ... in 2000, the Indianapolis Business Journal named Manning one of the area’s Top 40 leaders under 40 years of age and NUVO Magazine named Manning the Best Professional Athlete in Indianapolis ... has been honorary chairman of Indiana CASA’s annual fund drive and has contributed a flag football game the last five years pitching "Peyton’s Pals," a team of CASA foster children, against another team of youth from Indianapolis area community centers ... formed the PeyBack Foundation in 1999 to promote the future success of disadvantaged youth by helping programs that provide the necessary leadership and growth opportunities for youth at risk ... as the foundation’s first major event, Peyton launched the inaugural PeyBack Classic in 2000, enabling five inner-city Indianapolis high school football teams to play for the first time in the RCA Dome ... the school’s struggling athletic programs have received more than $150,000 in proceeds the past three years ... in 2002, the PeyBack Foundation gave more than $100,000 in grants to community agencies in Indiana, Tennessee and New Orleans ... the foundation committed $25,000 to a restoration project for the Dryades Street YMCA in New Orleans in 2001 ... Peyton has hosted a special holiday celebration the past three years for Indianapolis children ... in 2002, the PeyBack Foundation hosted more than 700 disadvantaged Indianapolis children from 25 different community agencies for the PeyBack Christmas Celebration at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis ... the PeyBack Foundation instituted the Peyton’s Pals Ticket Incentive Program in 2002, which makes it possible for disadvantaged children to attend Indianapolis Colts home games ... each organization receives 50 tickets, a PeyBack Foundation T-shirt, and a voucher for a free meal at the RCA Dome concession stands ... through his PeyBack Foundation, Manning established the PeyBack Award in 2002 to recognize an individual associated with football who achieved a high level of success in the sport and distinguished himself through philanthropic deeds, and the first recipient was Dallas Cowboys Hall-of-Fame quarterback Roger Staubach ... former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was the recipient in 2003 ... for the last two years, Peyton has participated in the Marsh Holiday Handoff for Hunger, a community-based food drive that benefited local food pantries ... the program has generated more than 400,000 pounds of food for those in need…each Indiana school that participated entered a drawing to win a visit from Peyton and tickets to a Colts game ... in 2003, Peyton joined forces with Caps for Kids, a non-profit organization that provides caps for children undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer or other life-threatening illnesses ... St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis is one of 70 hospitals and treatment centers throughout the United States that participate in the program ... Peyton, in conjunction with Marsh, holds an annual event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to raise money for the PeyBack Foundation ... the Marsh Kids’ Club Walk, "Peyton’s Rally at Gasoline Alley," gives kids an opportunity to walk around the track with Peyton ... more than 700 people participated in the event in 2002 ... Peyton was named to the NCAA Foundation Board of Directors in 2000 (now the NCAA Leadership Advistory Board), and is its youngest-ever member and first active professional athlete ... in addition to his board responsibilities, Peyton has become the national spokesperson for the NCAA’s major character education program to be instituted in elementary schools across the nation ... Peyton is involved with the NCAA’s ‘Stay in Bounds’ program, a character development initiative committed to teaching citizenship through sports and the acceptance of a set of guiding principles of sportsmanship ... along with his father, Archie, Peyton is actively involved with the Play it Smart organization, a school-based program primarily funded by the National Football Foundation ... the program seeks to use the power of the football experience as a vehicle to enhance the academic, athletic, career and personal development of high school student-athletes ... the PeyBack Foundation expanded the program in Indianapolis in 2002 by sponsoring two IPS schools ... all five football-playing Indianapolis public high schools now have the benefit of an academic coach ... Peyton also serves on the Board of Visitors of the College of Art and Sciences at the University of Tennessee and the Board of Advocates for the Indiana Golf Foundation ... Peyton serves on the American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet ... Manning was honored in May, 2002 as the male recipient of the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Award, given annually to America’s premier male and female athletes who excelled in their sport and through their actions have helped others ... Manning was selected the 2001 Walter Payton/Indianapolis Colts NFL Man-of-the-Year for participation in community affairs ... he was honored by his teammates as the 2001 Ed Block Courage Award nominee ... in 2002, Peyton earned the USA Weekend’s Most Caring Athlete Award for his ongoing community service activities ... his teammates have nominated him for the Byron "Whizzer" White Humanitarian Award the last two years ... the award is named for Supreme Court Justice and former NFL star Byron White, the award goes to the player who best personifies the spirit of Justice White’s service to team, community and country ... The Sporting News selected Peyton as one of the Good Guys in professional sports in 2002 ... Manning was awarded the 2001 American Dream Award by the Hudson Institute for his work with the PeyBack Foundation…he helped promote the I.S.T.E.P. exam for the Indiana Department of Education ... a portion of the Manning Passing Academy is donated to Special Olympics of Louisiana and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes…along with St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services in Indianapolis, he helped create "Peyton’s Playbook," a kid’s guide to healthy living and the importance of making the right decisions ... his father, Archie, was an All-America choice at Ole Miss in 1969 and 1970, and had a 14-year NFL career with New Orleans (1971-82), Houston (1982-83) and Minnesota (1983-84) ... Brother Eli plays for New York Giants ... Manning and his wife, Ashley, reside in Indianapolis, Ind.