Archie Manning

Though Archie Manning's legacy may have began on the field, he continues to captivate audiences from the lectern discussing his phenomenal career and transition into the business world. He serves as a public relations and business consultant for several local, regional and national companies, including Reebok, Gatorade, Direct TV and CBS Sports.

He attended the University of Mississippi where he was an All-American Quarterback and his number was retired. He was voted Mississippi’s Greatest All-Time Athlete in 1992, and was named Mississippi’s Most Popular Athlete of the Century. He was elected to the 50-Year All-South Team (1940-1990), named one of the Top 25 Athletes of the Century in Louisiana and he and his son Peyton were named among the 100 All-Time Greatest College Football Players. Archie was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame and is a member of other Halls of Fame including Louisiana and Mississippi.

In 1971, New Orleans Saints selected Archie for their first-round draft pick. He set multiple Saints passing records, played in two Pro Bowls and was named the NFC Most Valuable Player in 1978. He was the first player in Saints history to be inducted into the Louisiana Superdome Wall of Fame. He concluded his 15-year career in 1985. He was also drafted four times by major league baseball.

During his career, he earned the Byron “Whizzer” White Humanitarian Award, the Bart Starr Humanitarian Award, the Spirit of Good Sports Award from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and the U.S. Jaycees named him one of 10 Outstanding Young Americans. In 2005 Archie received the Legends award from the Davey O’Brien Foundation and the Aspire award, a tribute to life’s coaches from the Cal Ripken Foundation. Archie was honored by the United States Sports Academy with the 2006 Distinguished Service Award. He recently received the Boy Scouts of America’s highest award, the Silver Buffalo.

Archie supports of variety of nonprofit and profit organizations, including the Louisiana Special Olympics, the New Orleans Area Boy Scout Council, the Salvation Army, United Way Speakers Bureau, Allstate Sugar Bowl Committee, and New Orleans Sports Foundation. He was recently named Chairman of the Board of the National Football Foundation. For over 25 years he has hosted four Archie Manning Cystic Fibrosis benefit golf tournaments in Louisiana and Mississippi. 

Archie and his wife Olivia were recipients of the National Pathfinder Award for their work in post-Hurricane Katrina.

Archie and Peyton wrote Manning: A Father, His Sons and A Football Legacy. The family has held the Manning Passing Academy, a summer camp for high school quarterbacks and receivers, for over 17 years. Archie is also an owner of Manning’s, a sports-themed restaurant on Fulton Street in New Orleans. In honor of the Mannings’ college football success, the Sugar Bowl has created the Manning Award to go to the nation’s best college quarterback.

Archie and Olivia reside in New Orleans and have three sons, Cooper, Peyton and Eli. They are the proud grandparents of three boys and three girls. Archie was recently selected Father of the Year by the National Father’s Day Council.