Peyton Manning Was Named Most Likely To Become A Jedi, And Other Facts

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There’s so much hyperbole in sports and life. Everything is epic or the best ever, so when you witness something or someone that truly is, it should feel different. No one knows how many more passes Peyton Manning has left before he decides to call it a career, but we all know it will be a long time until we see someone throw a football with as much mastery as Manning has for as long as he has — if ever. Because of that, it seems like we should savor every pass, game, and touchdown. And we should also get to know as much about Manning’s long and interesting career, so, with that in mind, here are a few facts that casual Manning fans might not know about him.

He never missed an NFL game, until surgery benched him for an entire season.

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Throughout his 14 seasons with the Colts, Manning never once missed a game. That changed in 2011 when he had his second surgery that year for a level-one cervical fusion procedure, forcing him to sit out that season. The Colts released him in March of the following year, but he signed with the Broncos just a couple weeks later and emphatically showed that he had a lot more fuel in the tank.

He broke Brett Favre’s touchdown pass record in October 2014.

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After playing as quarterback for 17 seasons, Manning managed to break the record in 49 fewer games then it took Favre, the previous record holder. He broke the record in a 2014 game against the San Francisco 49ers. Brett Favre himself congratulated Manning on the victory and wished him more touchdowns to come. Wish granted.

A Star Wars novelist named him most likely to become a Jedi Knight.

Author Drew Karpyshyn once said of Manning “The guy always seems calm, cool and collected. He follows the Jedi mantra of ‘there is no emotion, only peace.'” It’s not the only Star Wars lore associated with the quarterback, and as any Jedi needs a good astromech droid, his his nickname for the Colts was R2D2.

His game day meal is consistent.

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Obviously aware of his own recipe for success, (pun intended), Manning’s pre-game meal always consists of two pieces of grilled chicken, a bowl of pasta with marinara sauce, a plain baked potato, and a side of broccoli on days he’s set to play, regardless of the time of day. He washes his trademark game day meal down with some Gatorade.

The renowned sports drink took notice of Manning early.

Gaining notoriety early on, Gatorade named him their Circle of Champions National Player of the Year while playing with Newman High School in his hometown of New Orleans back in 1993. That same year he was also named Columbus (Ohio) Touchdown Club National Offensive Player-of-the-Year.

He’s become a star off the field as well.

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With the kind of charisma with an appeal beyond just sports fans, Manning has starred in commercials for DirecTV, Sprint, MasterCard, and more. He was a featured voice on an episode of The Simpsons in 2009, along with his brother Eli, and he even hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live back in 2007, which aired on his 31st birthday.

Growing up, he was neighbors with both Anne Rice and Trent Reznor.

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As his father was a quarterback for the Saints, Manning and his brothers grew up in a beautiful home in the Garden District of New Orleans. Novelist Anne Rice once lived just a few blocks away, as did Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. Oliver Stone’s JFK was also filmed at the house located just next to the Manning’s. His father and mother still live in that house to this day.

He always understood the importance of pizza — and fans.

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Back in 1996, when his alma matter Tennessee was set to play against Florida, thousands of students were camped out in line for tickets. Manning had 100 or so pizzas delivered to the group of kids stuck at the very end of that line.

Just when you thought he couldn’t get any more impressive, he has his own kids’ charity.

He founded his charity, The Peyback Foundation, in 1999, with a goal to help disadvantaged kids in his home state of Louisiana, as well Colorado, Tennessee, and Indiana, representing all the states he’s played during his career. Earlier this year, the foundation awarded more than $1 million in grants to 144 youth-based organizations spread out across the four states, bringing their total contributions to around $6 million since starting.

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