Peyton Manning's number 18 was borrowed from a brother who never played on
Peyton Manning wore 18 for most of his career because his older brother Cooper had to quit football with spinal stenosis. The quarterback who honoured him would collect more MVP awards than anyone in NFL history and become the first starter to win Super Bowls with two different franchises.
At Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, Manning went 34–5 across three seasons as starter and threw for 7,207 yards, drawing interest from about 60 colleges. His father Archie had starred at Ole Miss, and Cooper had committed there, so choosing Tennessee eight days before signing day brought his parents a stream of angry calls and letters. He started his freshman year third on the depth chart, took over when two quarterbacks ahead of him were hurt, and never gave the job back.
In Knoxville he won 39 of 45 starts, an SEC record for career wins, and left as the school's all-time passing leader with 11,201 yards. Florida was the one opponent he could not beat, losing to the Gators three times. He finished his speech communication degree in three years yet returned for a senior season, leading a 30–29 comeback over Auburn for the 1997 SEC title and finishing second to Charles Woodson in Heisman voting. Tennessee later retired his college number, 16, and renamed a street by Neyland Stadium Peyton Manning Pass.
Indianapolis drafted him first overall in 1998. Over 13 seasons as starter he turned a struggling Colts franchise into a perennial playoff team, winning Super Bowl XLI and its MVP award for the club's first title since the move to Indianapolis. Neck surgery wiped out his 2011 season and the Colts let him go. He signed with Denver, won the division in each of his four years there, and ended his playing days with a victory in Super Bowl 50.
His records include most first-team All-Pro selections by a quarterback and the single-season marks for passing yards and touchdown passes. The professional game's hall of fame took him in 2021, four years after the college version had honoured him.
Source: Peyton Manning
