Peyton Manning's father once threatened to cut him from basketball team for disrespecting the coach
Peyton Manning's greatness was nurtured during his formative years, with his father Archie Manning playing a significant role in guiding him. Archie, a former NFL quarterback himself, imparted valuable lessons on how to approach sports in the right way.
However, there is a particular story from Peyton Manning's childhood that stands out, which doesn't revolve around football. In their local community, young Peyton used to play basketball with a group of neighborhood individuals. The team was coached by a community lawyer, not a professional manager, and the main purpose was to provide a fun outlet for local children.
The famously competitive quarterback, however, wanted to win and could not stomach a loss. After one loss that sticks in his memory, the coach said,
“Well, we didn’t play our best, but we’ll get ‘em next time.”
The young Peyton Manning was not impressed by his comments and fired back, saying,
“No, the reason we lost is you don’t know what you’re doing as a coach.”
It is a memory that the quarterback cringes to this day and he knows he was wrong. Because his father taught him a valuable lesson by making the young Manning apologize to the coach, otherwise refusing to let him play on the team in the future. Peyton Manning recounted,
“My dad couldn’t hear what I was saying. He just saw me pointing my finger at the coach, and he could tell that I was out of line. Made me go over to the coach’s house that night and apologize. I remember I was crying. I was bawling and my dad was saying, ‘I’m not going to let you play next week.’"
He added that it is a lesson he carries to this day,
“The coach was very nice, accepted my apology and said, ‘No, I want you to play.’ It was a good learning lesson for me of what’s right and what’s wrong, being coachable and keeping your mouth shut. That was the most valuable lesson in that. My dad straightened me out real quick.”
Here are some behind-the-scenes stories of the ascension of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning told by his high school friends who know him best.
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Peyton Manning's father knows a thing or two about losing
As detailed above, Archie Manning showed his son that application is more important than the result. As a former NFL quarterback, playing mainly for the New Orleans Saints, but also the Houston Oilers and the Minnesota Vikings, he never had a single winning season.
@SharpFootball Hall of Fame QB Archie Manning has the lowest winning percentage of any QB in NFL history (minimum 50 games started). Manning finished his career with a 35-101-3 record, including an 0-10 record as a member of the Oilers and Vikings in the early '80s.
Yet, his professionalism shown through and played in the NFL for 13 seasons. It was something that he passed on to Peyton Manning at a very young age, which contributed in making him one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.