Executive Staff
Archie Manning
Executive Director
Leadership, dedication and commitment have enabled Archie Manning to succeed both on and off the football field. Archie oversees every aspect of the Manning Passing Academy and makes all the audibles when it comes to teaching and coaching. Manning's background is truly reflective of the ideals and dedication necessary to compete on the football field.
Currently Archie serves as Chairman of the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame and is an active member of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Championship Committee.
In the NFL
Archie was the 2nd player selected in the 1971 NFL draft and went on to a brilliant 14-year career that included stints with the New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers, and Minnesota Vikings. As the New Orleans Saints field general, Archie was named league MVP in `78 and was twice selected to the Pro Bowl. He is a member of the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame and its Ring of Honor.
As a Collegiate
He is considered one of the greatest players ever to wear a Rebel uniform, he was the recipient of the Walter Camp Award and was selected to the All-American, All-SEC and All-South teams. Archie was the SEC Player of the Year in 1969. And in 1989, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He is also an inductee in the Ole Miss, Sugar Bowl and Gator Bowl Hall of Fames.
As a Community Leader
Archie has supported numerous non-profits and charities over the years in both Louisiana and Mississippi while continuing to assist those who share his love for the game of football. He has been recognized across the nation for his character, integrity and leadership on and off the field.
In 2019, Archie was honored with the Football Bowl Associations Champions Award. He was also recognized as the 2018 Walter Camp Football Foundation Distinguished American Award recipient, the Southeastern Conference Legend's 2018 Mike Slive Distinguished Service Award recipient and proudly awarded the National World War II Museum's American Spirit Medallion (Past recipients of this award include former President George H.W. Bush, Tom Brokaw and Gen. Colin Powell).
Other honors include the prestigious Gold Medal Award (2016) from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, the eighth recipient in 2013 of the NFL's prestigious “Pat Summerall Award” and in 2004 honored as the recipient of the Davey O'Brien Legends Award.
In the Community
A portion of the Manning Passing Academy proceeds is donated to Special Olympics Louisiana and Bridge House/Grace House New Orleans. Archie and Peyton have written a book entitled “Manning: A Father, His Sons and A Football Legacy" and also have a national quarterback award named after the family - the Manning Award, hosted by the Sugar Bowl Committee, in honor of Archie, Peyton and Eli. This award is the only national quarterback award that considers the candidates postseason play.
For almost four decades, the Manning family and the quarterback position have been practically synonymous with one another. As such, their summer vacations always revolve around the annual Manning Passing Academy, a family-owned and managed football camp that embraces the basic fundamentals of football while catering to the offensive skill positions of RB, TE, WR...and of course QB.
Archie and his wife Olivia (a former Homecoming Queen at Ole Miss) reside in New Orleans are the proud grandparents of nine grandchildren by Cooper, Peyton and Eli.
Cooper Manning
Senior Associate Director
One of the most popular staff members among the campers, he is never too busy to lend instruction or a helping hand. He is always the first to arrive at camp and the last to leave. He prides himself on his ability to entertain campers after practice as he hosts a live Q&A session with all the college players on staff.
He remains the most handsome Manning and has no plans of losing that title.
In The Booth
Coop's experience in high school, college, and professional sports has made him a natural fit for the broadcast booth and he has hosted and/or co-hosted numerous projects over the years, including both television and radio shows during football season on WWL in New Orleans. In April, Cooper landed a new media gig and debuted his weekly sports podcast called “Soup with Coop”, as part of The Volume, a sports podcast network. During the NFL season, Cooper hosts “The Manning Hour (Minus 58 Minutes)” on FOX Sports NFL Sunday. In 2021, Cooper joined Peyton in NBC's reboot of the iconic “College Bowl” this summer. The quiz show will pit teams from different universities against one another in a battle of the brains. Two-time Super Bowl Champ Peyton serves as the gameshow's host and Cooper as the show's sideline reporter.
As a Collegiate
He was heavily recruited by Division I schools out of high school including Texas, Virginia, and Ole Miss before deciding to attend his father's alma mater (Ole Miss) on a football scholarship. A career-ending injury forced the Rebel wide receiver to the sidelines, but his love for the game has never diminished.
In High School
Cooper was a two-time All-State wide receiver at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans and played in the Louisiana High School All-Star Game as well as participating on two state championship basketball teams.
In the Community
He is active with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Academy of Sacred Heart and his alma mater Isidore Newman School. He is currently a Principal at AJ Capital Partners, a vertically-integrated real estate development and investment firm. As the Senior Managing Director, Cooper focuses on business development and investor relations. In 2014, A.J. Capital launched the Graduate Hotels brand, a hand-crafted collection of hotels in university-anchored markets across the country and currently have 32 locations across the United States. A University of Mississippi graduate, he resides in New Orleans with his wife Ellen and daughter, May, and sons Arch and Heid.
Peyton Manning
Senior Associate Director
Retirement from the NFL after a stellar 18-year career, hasn't slowed Peyton down a step as he continues to be active in his community, his high school and college alma maters as well as shaping young lives of football players looking to learn more about the game.
Last year started and ended with a few historic milestones added to Peyton's list of life accomplishments. In February, he was notified as a first ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the Class of 2021. In July, Manning Passing Academy celebrated its 25th Anniversary and, in August, he was enshrined along with seven other NFL greats in Canton, Ohio. He closed out the year, as co-host of a new unique style of broadcast of ESPN's Monday Night Football, with Eli, called “Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli” - recently received the 2022 Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Series. Over the past few years, he's been inducted into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. He also received the Lincoln Medal, had his Indianapolis Colts jersey No. 18 retired at Lucas Oil Stadium and finished hosting his second season of ESPN's Peyton's Places, a football themed documentary series. Peyton also hosted NBC's reboot of the iconic “College Bowl”, along with his brother Cooper. The quiz show which pitted teams from different universities against one another in a battle of the brains.
In the NFL
Regarded as one of the best quarterbacks to have ever played the game, Peyton set many NFL major career records, led two different teams to Super Bowl victories and is a five- time NFL MVP selection.
Peyton climaxed his NFL record-setting career, leading the Denver Broncos to a win in Super Bowl 50. But, it all started for Peyton being selected with the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, and he quickly made his presence known, setting five different NFL rookie records, including most TDs in a season and was named to the NFL All-Rookie First Team.
As a Colt
During his first 14 NFL seasons with the Colts, Peyton set team records in nearly every career passing category, started 16 regular season games for 13 consecutive seasons and was selected as Super Bowl MVP in the Colts win over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
He completed more passes and threw for more yards and touchdowns in a career-opening 13-year span than any NFL player in history. In the process, he has torched all the NFL, AFC, and Colts record books, won back-to-back MVP honors for the second time in his career (2003-04 and 2008-09) and in 2009, was listed by the Sporting News as the No. 1 player in the NFL.
As a Bronco
In 2012, Peyton took over as QB of the Denver Broncos and didn't miss a beat after recovering from neck surgery in 2011, leading the Broncos to an AFC best 13-3 record. He also ranked second among starting quarterbacks with a passer rating of 105.8, third in touchdowns with 37 and accumulated 4,659 passing yards. He set Broncos single-season passing records in nearly every major passing category. For his accomplishments, he was recognized by the Associated Press as the 2012 NFL Comeback Player of the Year and was also named to his 12th Pro Bowl -his 6th as a first-team selection.
Peyton arguably enjoyed his greatest season in 2013, earning his fifth MVP award and making his third trip to the Super Bowl while setting NFL single-season records in passing yards, touchdown passes, and quarterback rating. The Associated Press selected him as the 2013 Offensive Player of the Year and was also selected as the 2013 FedEx Air Player of the Year. He set Broncos single-season passing records and set career-highs in completions, yards and touchdown passes.
He continued his record setting pace in the 2014 season becoming the NFL's all-time touchdown leader with 530 TD's. He also led the Broncos to the playoffs for the third consecutive year and was selected to his 14th Pro Bowl. In his 18th and final season in the NFL, Manning led the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory and his second Super Bowl MVP. In his career, Peyton was selected the 2001, 2004 and 2005 Walter Payton/Indianapolis Colts NFL Man-of-the-Year for his participation in community affairs and in 2005, received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. He was also the recipient of the 2015 Bart Starr Award.
As a Collegiate
Peyton was a Consensus All-American selection in 1997 and an All-American selection in 1996 (3rd team). As a four-year starter, he finished his collegiate career holding 42 NCAA, SEC and Tennessee records and led his team to the SEC Championship his senior year.
Peyton is also a three-time Academic All-America honoree and a GTE Academic All- America 1st Team. In 1997, he won the Campbell Trophy for performance, academics and community service as well as the Maxwell Award as the nation's most outstanding player. He also won the Sullivan Award for the nation's top amateur athlete, the Davey O'Brien Award for Top QB, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award for top senior.
In High School
He attended Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans and was an All-American, All-State and All-District pick at QB. He was selected the Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player of the Year.
In the Community
Manning's “PeyBack Foundation” provides leadership and growth opportunities for children at risk. Other avenues of the PeyBack Foundation include the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent, UT Scholarship Program and the Scholastic Book Club, to name a few. Peyton and his wife Ashley are the proud parents of twins, Mosley and Marshall.
Eli Manning
Senior Associate Director
From being the first pick in the 2004 NFL Draft to his retirement from the league on Jan. 22, 2020, Eli set the bar for quarterbacks in his 16 years as a pro. His resume includes being a two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time game MVP, a Walter Peyton Man of the Year selection, and is considered the most accomplished quarterback in New York Giants history. He also was also an iron man in the league at one point with a streak of 210 consecutive starts.
Last year was an exciting year for Eli as the Manning Passing Academy celebrated its 25th Anniversary, he co-hosted with Peyton on ESPN's Emmy Award winning new Monday Night Football broadcasting format - “Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli” and was honored by the NY Giants and Ole Miss Rebels with his Jersey retirement.
In the NFL
Eli finished his NFL career in the Top 10 of these offensive categories: Completions, Pass Attempts, Passing Yards and Passing Touchdowns. His 234 career start currently ranks him 4th most starts by a quarterback at a single franchise. From his first start on Nov. 21, 2004, Eli began a streak of 210 consecutive regular season starts and ended his career with 234 starts.
Eli won two Super Bowls and earned two Super Bowl MVP honors. He is only one of five players to have multiple Super Bowl MVP awards. In 2008, Eli led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII and was named MVP (a year after Peyton won MVP). In 2012, Eli staked his claim among the premiere NFL passers when he led the Giants to their second Super Bowl title and also claimed his second Super Bowl MVP award in Super Bowl XLVI. He joins Phil Simms and Otis Anderson as the only Giants who have won the MVP award and is the only Giants quarterback to win it twice. He is also the Giant's all-time leading passer and owns six all-time Giants passing records. Eli is the first Giants quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards in 14 consecutive seasons, the first to have seven 4,000-yard seasons and the first to throw at least 20 touchdown passes 8 years in a row. He also tossed 20 or more touchdowns in 13 seasons as a starter.
In 2011, Eli threw for a career-high 4,933 yards and threw for at least 3,000 yards as a starter in 14 of his 16 seasons as a pro. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Eli has also been recognized by the NFL for his work on and off the field. In 2016, Eli received the prestigious Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award, presented annually by the NFL honoring a player's volunteer and charity work, as well as excellence on the field.
He was recently awarded the Bart Starr Award (2020), given to an NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community.
As a Collegiate
Eli set or tied 45 single game, season and career records at Ole Miss. In his senior year, Eli led the Rebels to a 10-3 record and a 31-28 SBC Cotton Bowl victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2003. He also won the Maxwell Award, given to the nation's top collegiate player; the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the nation's top senior quarterback; and the Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year Award.
Eli was the SEC Player of the Year and earned the Conerly Trophy as the top collegiate player in the state of Mississippi. He had his No. 10 jersey retired during halftime at the Ole Miss vs. LSU game on October 23, 2021.
In High School
He attended Isidore Newman High School in his home town of New Orleans and was an All-American, All-State and All- District pick at QB.
In the Community
In 2005, Eli joined his brother Peyton by volunteering in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and together they assisted in the delivery of 30,000 pounds of water, Gatorade, baby formula, diapers, and pillows to the people of New Orleans. He championed the construction of “The Eli Manning Children's Clinics” at the UM Hospital for Children raising $2.5 million and has hosted the “Guiding Eyes For The Blind Golf Classic”, the oldest and largest charity event in Westchester County, NY. He has also served as chairman of the annual Walk for Babies, a flagship event for the March of Dimes. Eli is following in his brother's footsteps and hosting “Eli's Places”, a collegiate version of “Peyton's Places” on ESPN this fall. Eli and his wife Abby are the proud parents of three daughter's Ava, Lucy and Caroline and one son, Charles “Charlie” Elisha.