Athletic greatness comes in all shapes and all sizes.

It doesn't come naturally, but is achieved from hard work diligence and adversity along the journey.

There's opportunity and there's always struggle.

There is triumph and there is defeat.

And there is always a story behind the glory.

This is a story of a family tree that has deep football roots.

And here on the campus of Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, that family's name is peppered through the halls on plaques, trophy cases and on the exterior of buildings.

It was on this field where Cooper, Peyton and Eli, the sons of NFL great Archie Manning, all began their football journey.

I'm extremely proud to have known the Manning family because they just they're just a great football family.

And to be a part of that.

Not once, not twice, but three times was very special.

The youngest Manning son, Eli, would not be intimidated by the expectation of football greatness set by his father and older brothers.

We actually nicknamed him Easy because he was just so laid back.

I mean, he just didn't let anything bother him and it was just a whole different kind of personality.

But with the same results from his days at Newman to setting NCAA records and Super Bowl championships.

Eli blazed his own path in the Manning legacy.

You know, he's as good a leader as I've ever been around, and he did it by gaining the respect of everyone around him.

He was awesome.

He always, always stayed the same.

He always put in all the work that was needed, the very sly sense of humor.

We share a conversation with Eli Manning and talk about the Manning dynasty, which has now made history as the first father, son son combination to be enshrined in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Hello, Eli.

How are you, Lynn?

How are you?

Welcome to Natchitoches, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Thank you.

Wonderful to see you here.

Likewise.

Glad to be here.

So Archie's in the Hall of Fame and of course, Peyton's in the Hall of Fame.

Cooper tells me he could have been in the hall of Fame had he not been injured.

What what does this mean to you in terms of that legacy of having the family represented?

Well, it's it is really special.

And just walking around the hall of Fame earlier, seeing some of the great names of past inductees, you know, guys that I grew up watching, you know, I was seven years old when my dad was inducted and Peyton just a few years ago.

So very, very proud of being from Louisiana, from New Orleans.

I think some of the greatest athletes in this state.

So it's a real honor to join this Hall of Fame.

Peyton, of course, did not follow Archie to Ole Miss.

You after surveying other schools.

Did what was involved in those decisions?

Well, Peyton couldn't get into Ole Miss of his grade, so he had to go to Tennessee.

But I think for me, you know, my dad my dad did a great job of not getting involved in the recruiting process.

He was there to be helpful if we had questions or wanted help, but he was not going to lead us towards any certain school.

And obviously he had ties to Ole Miss and my my mom as well.

But he wanted us to make our own decision.

It was our life, it was our football career, and we had to go to the best spot that was that was for us.

The recruiting battle for Manning after his stellar play at Newman, led him to Ole Miss.

That's right.

Where his father, Archie starred and where the campus speed limit is.

Archie's number 18.

And when Eli was a freshman, he got a ticket going 45 and an 18 mile an hour zone.

You knew that He didn't really care about that tradition itself.

Then I knew Coach Cutcliffe.

I was going to Tennessee football camps and met him after games and and, you know, met with him at that time.

And he really wanted me to come to Ole Miss.

And I knew with him he was a make me a better a better player.

And I knew going Ole Miss, if I never played one down a football, I would have a great college experience.

Eli was what I call the best crossover leader I've been meaning offense, defense, senior class.

Freshman class Race had no bearing on that.

He's as good a leader as I've ever been around, and he did it by gaining the respect of everyone around him.

I think it's important to mention that you were a National Football Foundation scholar athlete, and that's something, of course, that gets overlooked when you talk about the academic are the athletic accomplishments.

But I know you're very proud of that, as is your family.

I am and had to work at a school was not something that was necessarily easy for me.

Sports and football and athletics came a little bit easier, but, you know, worked hard and high school wasn't necessarily honor roll student, but in college it was able to work really hard.

We had study halls.

You had time where you kind of committed to studying and just got in that routine.

Know, I don't remember ever missing a class and in college had my study all every night where I just study, did my work and, and because of that, was able to make good grades and just made a commitment to it.

And I think that just that that routine and that work ethic helped me in football and preparing for football and watching film and and doing all things into my NFL career as well.

Any regrets at all about your Ole Miss career?

No, No.

Know, Love loved every every second of it.

Redshirted was there five years, graduated, got to have come back for my senior year.

Could have come out early, but came back.

We had about 13 guys, a bunch of us redshirted great seniors.

So got to come back, be a captain my senior year, go to the Cotton Bowl, play in a big time bowl game and win that game against Oklahoma State.

So I love my college career.

I love the teammates and the bonds and and the coaching staff that we had.

And I thought, you know, playing at Ole Miss and in the SEC prepared me so much for the NFL.

He won the Maxwell and Unitas Awards at Ole Miss where he set or tied 45 school records.

He was the number one NFL pick.

And after declining to play in San Diego, he was traded to the New York Giants, you know that organization.

So I think it'll be a good place.

I think things will work out here.

It ws Year two when when Eli was inserted as the starter, I think a lot of us had questions.

Was he ready?

Is he the guy?

We had Kurt Warner, who was an established great quarterback who won a Super Bowl.

Now we have this kid who none of us know if he's even going to be good or not because he looks like he's 12 years old.

Or what can this guy do there?

He won two Super Bowls and was named MVP of both.

This four time Pro Bowler played in 236 NFL games, never missing a game because of injury.

His numbers still are among the leaders in the SEC and the NFL.

His legacy is unmistakable.

You started 210 consecutive NFL games at quarterback.

Now, your start was not that great.

You lost your first six, but 210 consecutive starts at NFL quarterback.

Nobody does that.

How is that possible?

I think it's just wanting to be there for my teammates and I knew my offensive linemen were always hurting and they were hurting in training camp and in training camp.

I'm wearing the red jersey.

No one can hit me.

And I played a few preseason games, not playing much, and you might get hit once or twice.

I'm going to the first game fresh.

They're already sure they're already injured and I knew, hey, I might get some bumps and bruises and and get, get, get nicked up a little bit.

But it was always that desire.

I had to do whatever possible to get there on Sunday and play in the games for my teammates because I know they would do it for me.

And it was just being being dependable as being there, showing up.

And that was the mindset that I had to do whatever possible to get there and, and, you know, proud of us, always, always showed up and try to do my job to the best in my ability.

One of the new features in television, in covering the NFL is the Monday Night Football Manning cast.

How did that come about and how much fun is that to be on the air live with your brother while this these games are going on?

It is a lot of fun.

And I mean, the idea of it was what it would be like to sit on a couch with Peyton and I and watch a football game, get to take shots at my brother and see him getting frustrated over clock management and coaches not calling timeouts.

And so it's great.

It keeps Peyton close.

We talk every week, keeps me involved in the game of football, which I love and get to analyze it and hang out with my brother on a bunch of Mondays, which is a lot of fun.

The Giants inducted him into their Ring of Honor in 2021 and retired his jersey on the same day.

No giants will ever wear number ten again.

Ole Miss also retired the number ten that same year.

Many believe that Eli Manning's name deserves to be in the conversation as one of the greatest professional quarterbacks of all time.

But the one thing that really stands out in my mind was after the Super Bowl, Eli was on the podium and he puts his he just puts his head back and he wipes the sweat with his hands off his face as if I knew how exhausted he was.

And in a lot of ways, how much pressure that took off of this young man who came into the NFL with a name that basically is synonymous with the league and had proven himself.

He was no longer Archie Manning son.

He was no longer Peyton Manning's little brother.

He was his own man.

He was Eli Manning.

Only strengthening the football tradition of the Manning family.

Eli Manning was able to change that.

The Manning, name even another step, which was kind of impossible with who Archie Manning is.

But Eli Manning kicked it up a notch.

He just was just one of those special kids that you just hope comes around more than just once in your career as a coach or even once in your life as a as a person.

Are there any more young Mannings in the pipeline at quarterback?

Well, obviously, I got my nephew Arch going to Texas right now, who's going to be a freshman and excited for excited for him.

I was with him a few weeks ago and got to see him and, you know, kind of just said, hey, if you ever need anything, want to be a resource, I'm never going to reach out.

I'm never going to send you a suggestion.

But if you ever want to want to ask a question or help on on anything as you go through this process.

Love to be there for you.

How about in your immediate family?

My immediate family.

So I got three girls who I don't think footballs would be in their in their future.

But I got a little boy, Charlie, who's, uh, who's four years old.

He's throwing it around.

He's only playing flag football this year for the first time.

So we'll see how it goes.

Congratulations on to your most well-deserved honor in the 2023 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame class.

Thank you so much.

It's a great honor.