344 A BICENTENNIAL HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI ELISHA ARCHIBALD “ARCHIE” MANNING, III, WAS BORN AND REARED IN THE SMALL DELTA COMMUNITY OF DREW. Born in May 1949 to mother Jane Elizabeth and father Elisha Archibald, Jr., Manning spent much of his childhood playing sports. After graduating from Drew High School, Manning enrolled at the University of Mississippi, where he quickly gained notoriety for his skills as a quarterback. Although Manning is most known today for his impressive football career, the young athlete possessed a talent for other sports as well. While playing baseball for the University of Mississippi, Manning was chosen for the Major League Baseball draft by three different teams: the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago White Sox, and the Kansas City Royals. During his time at Ole Miss, Manning excelled as a three-season starting quarterback, throwing for a total 4,753 yards and thirty-one touchdowns and running for 823 yards. He was named Mississippi Sportsman of the Year in 1969 and chosen for the All-SEC team for multiple years. Because of his immense success and popularity, the University later retired Manning’s number eighteen jersey. In 1971, Manning married Ole Miss Homecoming Queen Olivia Williams of Philadelphia. That same year, Manning was chosen as the second overall pick for the National Football League Draft. After graduating from Ole Miss, the couple moved to New Orleans, where Manning would play ten seasons for the Saints. Although the team suffered many losing seasons during his time as quarterback, Manning was highly admired by players and coaches in the league. Notably, during the 1972 season, Manning had the most pass attempts and completions in the NFL and also threw the most passing yards in the National Football Conference. In both 1978 and 1979, Manning was chosen for the Pro Bowl. Manning spent his last professional football years playing for the Houston Oilers from 1982 to 1983 and the Minnesota Vikings from 1983 to 1984. During his career, he completed 2,011 passes, which positioned him in the seventeenth rank in the history of the NFL at the time he retired. Mr. and Mrs. Manning have three sons, two of whom have led successful football careers. Peyton Manning played quarterback for the University of Tennessee and was the first selected for the NFL Draft in 1998. He led the Indianapolis Colts as their quarterback for twelve seasons and the Denver Broncos for four seasons until his retirement in 2016 following his second Super Bowl victory. Peyton’s younger brother Eli followed in his father’s ARCHIE MANNING footsteps as quarterback for the University of Mississippi, then went on to play professionally for the New York Giants in 2004 winning two Super Bowls. The eldest Manning son, Cooper, works at a prominent energy investment firm and is heavily involved in the sports world. Archie and Olivia Manning now live in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Oxford, Mississippi, and both contribute much of their time and resources to various charitable and philanthropic endeavors. PHOTO COURTESY OF OLE MISS ATHLETICS