peyton manning is arguably one of the best quarterbacks to play the position. He has enjoyed the benefits of retirement, making his staple in Papa John's and Nationwide commercials. Peyton Manning spent the majority of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, where he brought the Colts from the bottom of the league into one of the most elite and consistent offenses in NFL history.
Now he will be honored for all his great years in Indy, as he will have a statue built in his honor and he will also have his No. 18 jersey retired at Lucas Oil Stadium Oct.
8. This will be the first Indianapolis Colts player jersey to be retired in the Indianapolis era. Peyton Manning brought the love of football back into Indy, and he is being honored because of it.
The Greatest in Indy
Peyton Manning's time as a Colt was nothing short of spectacular. Manning was drafted by the team in 1998 in what at that time seemed like a hard decision to choose between Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning. Now looking back, it shouldn't have been as hard as people made it seem. He spent 13 seasons in Indy and put up some statue-worthy numbers. He threw for 54,848 yards and 198 touchdowns in that time frame. Manning changed the NFL into the shotgun passing game you see today, as he started this trend during his time as a Colt.
Manning brought the life and excitement of football back to Indy during his time there, having over ten seasons where the Colts won more than ten games.
Manning's dominance with the Colts led them to a number of playoff appearances with the team. He made the playoffs 11 out of the 13 seasons with the team. He made the Super Bowl twice, winning one against the Bears in Super Bowl Xli.
Manning had many playoff memories, most notably his masterful comeback against the Patriots that got them to Super Bowl XLI in the first place.
G.O.A.T
The Colts knew how much of an important piece Manning was to their franchise, which is why they made the announcement of them building a statue in March of 2016. Manning helped the Colts become a relevant franchise and even helped build their new stadium on his success.
Jim Irsay commented on this event telling ESPN, "Peyton will always be a Colt. This will be an event our city, state and Colts fans around the world can celebrate and be proud of."
Manning will be the 14th Colt to be inducted into the ring of honor, joining Tony Dungy, Marvin Harrison, Marshall Faulk, Erick Dickerson and more. Manning is the first Colt to have his jersey retired in the Indianapolis era, which is quite the honor with all the talent that came through this city. The Colts fans are happy to see one of The Greatest ever to play the game get honored where he built his career, right in Indianapolis.
These events will all take place on the weekend of October 6th. Some of the ceremony will take place at halftime during the Colts game against the San Francisco 49ers. Manning said he was honored by this recognition, but nobody else deserves this more than him.
