FAMILY FIRST
With his father, Archie, presenting him for enshrinement, you knew Peyton would dedicate a significant part of his speech to his family, and it certainly gave us some of the most memorable moments.
"In my youth in New Orleans and in Newman School, football carved out a place for my favorite quarterback, my hero, my role model, my dad — Archie Manning — to pass on something he loved to me," Manning said. "Dad, there is no one I would rather have or be more appropriate than you to welcome me to this stage. My dad enabled me to play ball with my brothers, Cooper and Eli, the two best brothers a guy could ask for. And it gave my mom plenty of reasons to both beef me up and patch me up. You talk about lucking about with the most loving mother, who could also break down a Cover-2 defense as well as any NFL quarterback."
He also later dedicated part of his speech to his wife and children.
"To my wife, Ashley, there are no right words to express how grateful I am for you," Manning said. "Thank you for your unstoppable love and support. And to our children, Marshall and Mosely, you came into the world at the exact time that I needed you most. The two of you have already given your mother and me a greater inheritance than we could ever leave you."
REVELING IN THE HISTORY
Ever since growing up around the game as the son of an NFL quarterback, Manning has fostered a deep-seated love for the sport's history. He shared just a bit of that in explaining how honored he is to join the many other greats from throughout football history in the Hall with a story about a dream he had:
"The legendary John Madden says that the Hall of Fame busts whisper to each other at night, and it's actually true," Manning said. "My son, Marshall, and I have heard it. But I also think that they run plays at night. They scrimmage. They throw a little seven-on-seven. The other night I had a dream that I was in one of those scrimmages. The other team's coaches were Vince Lombardi and Paul Brown. My coaches — Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson. That's right: a Cowboy and a Steeler working together. Only in Canton, Ohio.
"We were on the 50-yard line with only three seconds left in the game. Coach Cowher called a running play. I said, 'Coach, I'm going to have to audible.' Omaha! I called a pass play. My bust faked a handoff to Barry Sanders. I called a 20-yard break-in route to Michael Irvin right as Deacon Jones and Ray Nitzchke hit me at the same time. Irvin, as he was getting tackled by Ronnie Lott, then lateraled to Steve Largent, who was in a footrace down the sideline with Darrell Green and Lem Barney. The savvy Largent, knowing he couldn't win a footrace with Darrell Green, then lateraled back to Lance Alworth, who dove into the end zone for the game-winning score.
"Now, yesterday it was just a dream, but tonight it's reality."
REMEMBERING THOSE WE'VE LOST
In honoring the history of the game, Manning also made sure to pay tribute to the coaches who helped him become the player he was, singling out two who died within the past year.
"I always thrived on being coached, and I learned from some of the very best coaches in the business, many of whom are here tonight," Manning said. "Sadly, we have lost two special coaches to me this year: the great Howard Mudd and my good friend, Greg Knapp. May they both rest in peace."
Knapp was the Broncos' quarterbacks coach for three of Manning's four seasons in Denver, including the team's 2015 championship season, and recently died tragically after being struck by a car while he was riding his bike.
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