Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated.
If one were to describe Archie Manning’s life in one sentence, you would say he’s been through some sh*t. Is there a better way to define it? Not really. We rarely hear about the Manning Patriarch, as he is overshadowed by his NFL-playing sons, Eli and Peyton. He played a long time ago and for a terrible, terrible team, and so many forget his playing career all together. But without Archie Manning III, there would be no Manningcast. Who is this Archie guy? Let’s find out!
Expectations Exceeded
For a Caucasian male born in 1949 and raised in a miniscule town in Mississippi, Archie Manning is surprisingly unproblematic. At least openly. He was born before social media, obviously, so he could probably say or do something without the entire world knowing, something his grandson Arch does not experience. There is a higher caliber of behavior expected when someone’s life is documented via social media. One could even go as far as to say Archie Manning III is a nice guy, loved by many. Not just problematic. A true feat when we are looking at famous icons.
Archie Manning III’s Childhood Was Remarkable
If you talk to the Manning patriarch about his childhood, he has cute stories. Manning fondly remembers growing up in Drew, Mississippi. The whole four-stop lights and playing outside until it was dark vibe. He was raised Baptist and went to Vacation Bible School every year. The man was so committed he got a pin for 728 Sundays (14 years) of straight Sunday school attendance. Manning also participated in 4-H, was a successful public speaker, and played every sport with a ball involved as a kid.
Archie grew up in a humble home with his older sister Pam, his father Buddy (Elisha Archibald Manning, Jr.), and his mother Sis (not a nickname). The home happened to be across the street from the local high school, with many of the local coaches as neighbors. Archie’s dad would warm up the coaches with moving help and weekly steaks, and in return they coached his son from a young age and took him to scouting events.
Buddy was a family trailblazer. He came from a long line of farmers, like most people with the middle name Archibald. He was one of five children and the only one that moved off the family farm and went into retail. Farm product retail, but still not farming. His other four siblings never married and lived together on the family farm until they died. A little more detail on Buddy’s family would be so fascinating. Archie spent some time on the farm and promised his aunt he would be a “city boy,” which was an adorable premonition.
Establishing Generational Wealth
Buddy Manning said ‘bon voyage’ to farming, and his son said ‘bonjour’ to generational wealth. Archie put his undeniable ball skills to work. He was a varsity baseball player for the high school at just 12, so unsurprisingly people thought he would go to the MLB. Archie also played basketball and football, but he was bad enough at football that he didn’t have what it took to be a running back. A funny phrase today, but apparently impactful in that era. As a sophomore in high school, he tried quarterbacking and got scholarship offers from colleges. Tulane, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State, to be more specific.
Manning chose Ole Miss and a college education over a baseball career. Forward thinking that would create a dynasty. Farmer to college graduate in two generations. However, tragedy would strike. While the rest of the family was at a wedding, Buddy Manning was at home. Archie returned home before his sister and his mother and headed straight to his dad’s room. Perhaps he had a feeling. The Manning patriarch found his father dead from suicide, in what is described as a bloody scene. Archie Manning III doesn’t talk about that much.
Post-Loss Of His Father
The new ‘man of the house’ planned on dropping out of college and supporting his mother and sister. Sis Manning said not my son and sent him back to school. She did end up working later on in life—also remarkable. Thank God for Mother knowing best, because Manning had generational wealth to create. Archie was as serious about that goal as his mother was. The best way to describe how devout he was to football was the fact that he played his final college game with a broken arm—and he still lost. Once again, remarkable.
Mississippi and their college football run deep. Deep enough, it’s hard to describe, so please look at this resource for rivalries, back stories, and drama between schools here. People were really mean to Manning, calling him a “mule” and wearing “Archie who?” buttons to games. Good practice for the NFL. But he was beloved by his state, and there was even an official “Archie Manning III” day in 1971, celebrating his senior year in college.
Archie Manning III And The “Aints”
Archie Manning was drafted second overall in the 1971 draft by New Orleans. Before the draft mattered at all. Hell, it barely mattered (or was televised) by the time Peyton Manning’s draft rolled around. Also, to be clear, generational wealth wasn’t because of being a saint. Players didn’t get paid anything until the 1980s. The money more so came from business acuity and raising football-playing sons who made it big in the NFL when quarterbacks did get paid. In three generations, we go from farmers to millionaires. Wild.
In what felt like a very 2024 vibe, Manning started immediately as a rookie. A far less common occurrence in the 1970s that spoke to the team’s strategy. A sort of modern-day Carolina Panthers team, but worse. It was not until 1979 that Manning clawed his team to a.500 record for the first time ever. Archie is rather communicative on places like the Manningcast on how much he didn’t appreciate multiple coaches of varying levels of talent (very little).
One Of The Toughest Jobs
His job was not an easy one. This man got sacked 340 times during his career. Opponents felt bad enough for the quarterback that even people like Jack Youngblood would go easy on him and pick him up after knocking him to the ground each time. The o-line was so bad everyone had to feel for the man. And Youngblood played through a broken leg, so he was not one for the sensitive. This article would have you wondering if broken bones hurt.
Manning spent 1976 on the bench, the operating room, and then the broadcasting booth after a severe shoulder injury. He became the NFL MVP in 1978, was a 2x pro bowler, and is enshrined in the New Orleans Saints Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame. His number is also unofficially retired. He was benched for Ken Stabler in the 1981-1982 season and then was traded to the Houston Oilers, a team worse than the Saints. He spent one year in Houston and another in Minnesota before retiring in 1984. A thyroid condition made that a necessity.
A Bone To Pick
Before talking about Archie Manning III’s adorable family, I have a bone to pick with him. He raised three sons to be mostly decent humans who have also maintained good careers and are strong family men. However, Peyton Manning’s college indiscretions and his father’s handling of them is repulsive and has to be discussed.
In 1996, at the University of Tennessee, a female trainer claimed that Peyton Manning pressed his buttocks and genitals on her face while she was examining his ankle. Peyton has always stuck to the “mooning” story, even though a witness indicated that the female trainer was no softie and had seen men moon each other with no negative reaction before in the locker room. The witness saw that he had at least put his parts in her face, although he couldn’t confirm the contact part. The witness also said that he could see she was visibly upset and not like herself, indicating something serious had happened.
Documentation also showed that she called a sexual assault crisis center, reporting the abuse and saying her perpetrator was a well-known figure and athlete at the university. She also said she had reported the incident to her supervisor. The victim went on to say she was worried about keeping her job and felt her life could be in danger, and a cover-up was on the way so she wouldn’t report it.
The incident was never reported to the police—allegedly at the advice of the trainer’s supervisor. She agreed to leave the university with a payout, which begs the question of why she needed to be the one to go. In 1997, the university said it was unpreventable horseplay, which is more nauseating than players puking on the field.
Yuck
In a book written by Archie and Peyton in 2002, they described the alleged assault, reiterated the stupid mooning story, and then shamed her for having a dirty mouth (that’s victim shaming, sweetie). But Peyton can “moon” people in the presence of a lady in front of a locker room full of people, and that’s ok? Unpreventable horseplay? In case anyone was wondering, if he kept his pants on, the entire incident would have been entirely preventable. Also, Manning should have been honest and faced the consequences. There is always room for personal growth.
I like Archie Manning III. He seems like a nice guy who experienced some significant trauma and tried to be a good person his entire life. You can’t control your children, especially when they’re adults, and one bad apple out of three is pretty darn good. But what you can do is not perpetuate lies and promote sexism via a book. Accountability looks good on everyone, even Archie Manning. The alleged event ‘allegedly’ taints Peyton Manning’s name and is the one skeleton in what seems like a very decent man’s life that I could find.
Archie Manning III: The Family Man
Archie Manning’s life rolled on after football. He had a wife of 53 years, Olivia; he had met his junior year at Ole Miss. He also had three sons to raise who were 10 and younger. After retiring, he did consulting, public speaking, broadcasting, investing, and was a spokesperson. He still appears on the occasional NFL show with his sons, like “Peyton’s Places.”
With a mind for philanthropy, the manning Patriarch has also contributed to the community. He has helped raise money for medical research and the Paralympics in Louisiana, amongst other things.
The couple has a marriage people could dream of. Ms. Olivia is snarky, flexing that she had a car in college and Archie didn’t, implying he was the reacher. We hear you, Mrs. Manning! Both Mr. and Mrs. Manning turned 75 this year, and Archie doesn’t take a single year for granted. Due to his likeability, he has many friends who are now passing away, and funerals are becoming a regular event for the couple to attend. Manning is aware that time is never promised. A very relatable reminder.
Football Takes It’s Toll
Archie Manning III always looks remarkably healthy for his age. He resembles the King of England, especially with the middle name Archibald. However, it’s obvious that he is still sharp as a tack. A true rarity in football players of his age who went through the same wild west of the NFL. Some of his highlights show that.
However, football has taken its toll. An important aspect of the NFL that current, former, and future players should be alerted to and reminded of. Archie Manning had 11 surgeries in the last 10 years—2 new knees, six on his neck and back, and three others that were not elaborated on. He also has neuropathy that numbs his lower legs and effects his balance. He’s on wheelchair duty at the airport after falling three times and on cane duty the rest of the time.
We’ll finish this article out with a quote from Archie Manning III himself that personifies his character: “I don’t wear my problems on my sleeve, because one thing I’ve found out is that nobody wants to hear about it. I will say I’m not too proud to use a cane, because falling is no fun.”
