Manning: A Father, His Sons and a Football Legacy

This is an excellent book, written by Archie and Peyton Manning. It starts of with a really painful experience for Archie, and it goes through Archie's entire life and career, and it talks about the begining of Peyton's career and most of his childhood. I would recomend this book to anyone, and to everybody who loves the Manning family, like I do.

Unlike any other sport, football has captured the hearts of endless fans. Likewise, many fans have fallen in love with a true football family, the Mannings. Manning, by Archie Manning, Peyton Manning, and John Underwood, is an incredible biography, not only of Archie and Peyton Manning, but also of the entire Manning family and the hardships, triumphs, and accomplishments they have endured and achieved.Manning is the story of the careers of Archie and Peyton. The book does not only portray the lives of these men and their family, but vividly presents the men's opinions on the way the game has changed. The Mannings describe the "cash fever" and "big money madness" of the NFL and present the "rituals of bribery that mark college recruiting." Not only do Archie and Peyton represent true American football players, but professional athletes who resisted money corruption and only play for the love of the game.The authors seldom use literary devices, but write with a certain style that makes the reader feel as if he has known the Mannings his entire life. The authors' use of a personal style of writing enables the reader to easily relate to the problems these incredible men have faced.I thought Manning was an amazing book. If you are a fan of the Mannings, or football in general, this is the book for you. The book has no specific theme, but its purpose is to present the life of two of the greatest NFL quarterbacks to ever live and to prove that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.

There are few things to make you proud of being born and raised in a town solidly founded on all night sex, drugs, booze and jazz. There are even fewer things to make you proud of being a Saints fan. That being said, I was an "Awchie" fan before this book. Now, I'm simply in "awe" of him. They say you can judge a person by his/her children. Well, Cooper, Peyton and Eli speak VOLUMES as to the true character of Archie and Olivia. Dare I say it? The Manning Family makes me proud to be from New Orleans. This was an uplifting, lighthearted book that I hated to see end. Thank you, Archie, for EVERYTHING.

When I tell people I read this book they are very surprised as I attended a competing school and would not allow my children to attend Ole Miss for race issues. But that would be small minded to not enjoy the history of an exceptional Southern American family.I throughly enjoyed reading this memoir from Archie about his life and journey to sports. He is an exceptional human being with many fine qualities. It's all here: 1. His feelings of the college game, 2. Inducements he may have received at Ole Miss, 3. His feelings of race, 4. life in the NFL, and 5. the good and bad of Southern passion for football and how it effected the recruiting of his sons.Peyton also wrote some sections and did an excellent job. It's interesting to read his perceptions on such subjects as confrontations with coaches as well as his Tn freshman competition with Brandon Stewart. The story shows his passion and obsession with football and reading some of his stories, you can see where he probably generated some enemies amongst his teamates. He closes one chapter with thoughts of the college game and whether eventually there will be minor league pro teams.Cooper Manning comes off as the star. What a great guy. You can see Cooper knew how to charm parents, classmates and his parents.Eli is projected as a quiet, shy kid much like Archie and Olivia is the rock of the family.I strongly recommend this book if you like football, southern culture, or stories about inspiring American families.

I grew up watching Archie Manning play for Ole Miss and now cheer for his son, Peyton, with the Colts. Although I knew a lot of Archie's story, this book gives a detailed insider's look at the world of football at all levels and all the changes that have occurred over the past 30 years. It is also a heart-warming story about the Manning family and how they've dealt with everything from Archie's frustrated days playing with the Saints, raising a family in New Orleans (not the easiest place to raise kids!), Peyton's college recruiting process and dealing with Cooper's (their oldest son) life-threatening illness. I always knew that Archie was a humble competitor -- I saw that when he played at Ole Miss -- and it's obviously influenced the way he and his wife raised their sons. In a world where so many kids disrespect authority and eschew hard work, it's refreshing to learn about the Manning kids in another light. And I loved learning all about the behind-the-scenes gyrations of pro football and the college recruiting process.A fantastic book by two fabulous athletes who also happen to be men of integrity and honor.