Eli Manning

Starting quarterback for the New York Giants, Eli Manning not only had to try and make it in the highly competitive world of professional sports, but he also had to come out from under the shadow of his famous football lineage.

Elisha Nelson Manning, known popularly as Eli Manning, was born January 3, 1981 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His parents were Olivia Manning and famed football star Archie Manning. Eli, however, was not the only football player in the family. Before Eli made his mark on the sport, his older brother, Peyton Manning, established himself as a Super Bowl winning quarterback with the Indianapolis Colts.

Having to live up to these established names in the sport, Manning began his career when he attended the University of Mississippi. Persuaded by David Cutcliffe, noted for previously working with Peyton and Archie, Manning finalized his decision.

While at the University of Mississippi, sometimes known as Ole Miss, Manning had an astounding four year stretch. Setting or matching forty-seven records, he won a slew of prestigious awards. He was even in the running for a Heisman Trophy but lost out to Jason White. Larry Fitzgerald came second in the running. In addition to football, Manning secured a degree in marketing during his time at Ole Miss.

Drafted as a first overall pick by the San Diego Chargers, Manning was then traded to the Giants for Philip Rivers. Settling into his new team, Manning trained under established quarterback Kurt Warner. In 2004, however, Warner stumbled in some crucial games and head coach Tom Coughlin made the decision to start Manning in 2004.

Manning stumbled initially but finished the 2005 season strong with a 28-24 win over Dallas. Finishing at the top of the NFC East, Manning led the team to an 11-5 record. Although the team went on to the playoffs, Manning’s inexperience revealed itself, and their season came to an end against the Carolina Panthers.

The following regular season was marked by more ups and downs but culminated again in a playoff turn. Meeting the Eagles, Manning’s individual performance was dramatically better than his previous playoff appearance. Unfortunately, the team still couldn’t pull out a win.

Discontent fans began comparing Manning to other more successful quarterbacks such as Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger.

2007 looked to be more of the same when he was outplayed by the likes of Tony Romo and others. John Mara, co-owner of the New York Giants, even came out and questioned Manning’s ability to inspire and lead the team.  Manning impressed even his largest critics, however, when he nearly took down the 15-0 New England Patriots led by Tom Brady.

Making in into the playoffs again, the Giants took down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and most recently, the heavily favored Dallas Cowboys. They will play the Green Bay Packers with Brett Favre on January 20, 2008.

In his personal life, Manning is engaged to longtime girlfriend and fashion student Abby McGrew. Manning currently lives in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Outside of football, Manning made headlines by helping out in the fallout from Hurricane Katrina.