A Legend Leaves a Legacy
Peyton Manning reluctantly decides to end his impressive, eighteen-year football career on a great note.
The humble, talented, and courageous NFL quarterback, Peyton Manning, retires after winning his last professional football game: a Superbowl XLIX Championship.
Manning grew up playing football while watching his father, Archie Manning, have a successful, sixteen-year football career as well. Peyton also has two other brothers, Eli and Cooper, who he would play with.
Peyton’s ample amount of records and awards launched during his high school career. He won multiple Player of the Year awards for his 1993 season; among them all was the nationally renowned Gatorade High School Player of the Year.
His accomplishments continued into college where he played for the University of Tennessee, a big time rival to his father’s alma mater of Ole Miss. He shattered records left and right, from Tennessee’s to the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) record book.
Just as everyone expected, Manning was drafted first overall in the 1998 NFL Draft to the Indianapolis Colts, and from there on out, history was made.
Some of Mannings records are as followed:
- NFL career passing touchdown record: 539
- Most passing yards, career: 71,940
- Single-Season touchdown record (2013): 55
- Most passing yards, season (2013): 5,477
- Most wins (including playoffs): 200
- Most games throwing for 300+ yards: 93
- Most passing touchdowns in a single game (tied, 2013): 7
- Most games with a perfect passer rating of 158.3: 5
- Most games completing 80-percent passing: 19
- Most game-winning drives: 56
- Most comeback wins: 45
- Highest completion percentage in a postseason game with 450+ yards (2005): 81.8
- Highest yards-per-game, season (2013): 342.31
- Most games with 4+ touchdown passes: 25
- Most consecutive seasons with 25+ touchdowns: 13
- One of two quarterbacks to ever beat all 32 teams (along with Brett Favre)
- First quarterback to beat 31 franchises: 2007
- Most Associated Press NFL MVP awards: 5 (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013)
It’s simple to say that Manning’s hard work and dedication to the game of football has paid off, for he has paved an obvious road to Canton for himself.
The NFL will not be the same without a player like Peyton, and his devotion will leave an everlasting print on football and the lives of people that were lucky enough to witness his greatness.
