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Tag: Archie Manning

  • Cooper Manning Doesn’t Play, But Cheers on Brothers

    Cooper Manning, the older brother of two of the NFL’s most famous QBs, Peyton and Eli, had to shelve his football dreams before starting college. He has now opened up for the first time about the pain he has felt from that, but says that he lives his football dreams vicariously through his brothers, specifically Peyton, whom he had practiced with often.

    Cooper was the first son born to the football legend, Archie Manning, in 1974 – he was soon followed by brothers Peyton, in 1976, and Eli, in 1981. In high school Cooper was an all-state wide receiver who was set to play college ball at his father’s alma mater, Ole Miss. Before he ever got the chance to start, however, Cooper was forced to quit the game altogether.

    While training for his college career, the eldest Manning son began to experience numbness and the loss of motor skill in his right arm. Upon visiting the Mayo Clinic with his father, Cooper was diagnosed with a condition called spinal stenosis. The injury usually causes the same symptoms to develop in individuals around age 64, more than four-times Cooper’s age.

    At 18, Cooper returned to Mississippi to tell his friends and coaches he had to quit the sport forever – or else risk losing his arm permanently. In a documentary ESPN aired about Archie and his three sons, The Book of Manning, Cooper became openly teary recalling the event, but remained ever the optimist.

    “I feel pretty lucky to have two brothers to cheer for every Sunday,” Manning told the Daily News. “I’m not a jealous guy. I’m excited to have a little bit of skin in the game here. My glass is full as it is. I’m a happy camper.” The father of three daughters then said, “The fact that I have brothers who have been involved in three of the last four Super Bowls is hard to put into words.”

    Cooper hasn’t done too bad for himself, however; he was estimated by Celebrity Networth to be worth an estimated $15 million, due to his role of a co-owner in the energy investing firm, Howard Weil.

    Image courtesy AudiobrainVideos/YouTube.

  • Archie Manning and Family in “The Book of Manning”

    A new film from ESPN and directed by Rory Karpf, called “The Book of Manning”, hightlights the life and career of Archie Manning, the patriarch of the first family of football. John Goodman narrates the film, which tells the story of how Archie and Olivia Manning, the football hero and the homecoming queen, formed their family from the ashes of tragedy after his dad’s suicide and went on to raise 3 athletes.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCphuPJ0acs

    I’m hoping to get a lot more intimate and hilarious look inside the Manning family with home movies like these:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIFiQVmEoog

    According to AP, Karpf said that telling the story of how Archie raised his 3 sons was just as satisfying as telling about what a phenomenal athlete he was himself. Archie Manning is not a very well-known name today, but in the 70s and 80s, it was, when Manning was a big deal at Ole Miss and during his pro career with the New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers, and Minnesota Vikings.

    He went on to cheer all three of his boys on the field, and two of them in the professional realm. His oldest boy, Cooper, suffered a spinal injury in college and was unable to move on to the pros. Archie Manning said he was glad that “The Book of Manning” didn’t leave out his eldest son whose football dreams were cut short.

    “I think one thing I like so much about the documentary is that Cooper’s role in there is equal to Peyton and Eli’s and that’s the way it should be,” Archie said. “His story of his athletic career being cut short, and then what he went through with the laminectomy and so forth, I can’t tell you how uplifting it was for our family to see how he handled that.

    “He’s always had a great spirit, but the spirit he had to get through that and the way he dealt with it, his attitude, certainly helped all us get through a tough time.”

    Karpf remarked about the great relationship he has with his kids,”You realize that Archie didn’t put pressure on his kids. I think as parents sometimes, whether we mean to or not, we do put pressure. He just gave his kids unconditional support and love.”

    Archie seems to want to make it clear that this “first family of football” thing they have going was not planned. He even admits that at one point they didn’t even know if star player, Eli, would even be an athlete. And they were both fine with that.

    The film paints the family as very sweet and accepting of whatever their sons may have become, even if it wasn’t a professional athlete. The family is truly an inspiration, not only for what they are to the sport, but what they were as a family.

    “I think the first thing that my sons will tell you, that I never tried to be their coach,” he said. “And I didn’t give them as much advice as some people might think, being a former player myself and a former quarterback. If they asked, I gave them my opinion.”

    Be sure to catch “The Book of Manning on Tuesday at 8 PM Eastern on ESPN.

    Image via youtube

  • Cooper Manning Story Central to Manning Documentary

    We’ve all heard of Peyton and Eli Manning (If you haven’t, you must be a hermit living in a cave somewhere. And if that’s true and you’re reading this, you must have some AMAZING WiFi.), but what about their eldest brother Cooper?

    In an upcoming documentary, The Book of Manning, director Rory Karpf wanted to show the world the football talent of Archie Manning. During a conference call, Archie said, “Oh, the years fly by, that’s just natural. You know, if it wasn’t for Peyton and Eli coming along, nobody would know who I was. Maybe a few people in Mississippi, a few old people. I never worry much about that. I always had kind of a philosophy, I really enjoyed playing. Gosh, I loved playing.”

    We also get a glimpse of the lives of the Manning family, also known as the first family of football. We see home videos and hear from many people, including father Archie, mother Olivia, Peyton, Eli, and the brother we know the least about, Cooper.

    Cooper was also quite the football player himself. As an All-State High School wide receiver, many thought he would be on his way to the NFL, but a spinal condition ended his football career. Cooper’s condition, spinal stenosis, and the end of his football days isn’t something he talks about often. “Historically I haven’t really talked about that a lot. Rory caught me on a weak day. We had talked for a long time during that interview session and he got to me a little bit. I’ve always tried to downplay the whole surgery and injury and just wanted to get back to normal. This was the one time I guess you got the full scoop,” said Cooper.

    Though his condition may have ended one dream, it hasn’t bothered the eldest Manning. Cooper is a partner in a New Orleans energy investment firm, and enjoys watching his brother’s play on Sundays. Cooper said, “I’m just a proud brother and I just adore watching them play football. It’s far less about me and is more about me being proud of them and loving them and being a part of it. I often wonder what my Sundays are going to be like when they’re no longer playing. I really appreciate the times right now.”

    The eldest Manning has a family of his own, a wife and three children to be precise, and he’s taking a cue from his father Archie. “I’m reliving my dad’s life. We’re doing the same things. Pickup games, throwing amazing catches. They’re playing flag football and I’m out there filming it. I’m trying to use my dad’s fatherly advice as a template how not to screw up my kids,” said Cooper.

    If Twitter has anything to say about the documentary, Cooper Manning steals the show.

    Cooper’s role in the documentary is just as important as that of his brother’s, and father Archie is happy about that. Said Archie, “I think one thing I like so much about the documentary is that Cooper’s role in there is equal to Peyton and Eli’s and that’s the way it should be. His story of his athletic career being cut short, and then what he went through with the laminectomy and so forth, I can’t tell you how uplifting it was for our family to see how he handled that. He’s always had a great spirit, but the spirit he had to get through that and the way he dealt with it, his attitude, certainly helped all us get through a tough time.”

    It seems the documentary almost didn’t happen though. Cooper told USA TODAY Sports, “Dad initially did some stuff and then decided he just didn’t want to do it and put it on hold. (Filmmaker) Rory (Karp) almost had a heart attack when he found that out, but then my mother was really the driver to get Dad back and say, ‘Let’s pursue it.’ I think she felt that their grandchildren needed to see a side of him and some of the details they wouldn’t see otherwise. My mom is to blame for reigniting the whole project.”

    The documentary, which airs Tuesday on ESPN, will give insight into what shaped Archie’s personal and professional life. Some of which are dark times that no person should have to go through, such as Cooper’s spinal condition and Archie’s father’s suicide.

    You can watch a clip of the documentary in the video below.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIFiQVmEoog

    Image via YouTube.