Star QB woos Houma chamber

What do you get when you have a speaker from Ole Miss standing before a 200-plus crowd of primarily LSU fans? Well, if that speaker is an all-pro quarterback who stayed with the New Orleans Saints during 10 of the team’s less than stellar seasons (1971-81), and his name is Archie Manning, you get an enjoyable hour of talking football, recalling life experiences, picture taking and autograph signing.

Manning, 62, now spends most of his time as a motivational speaker and, he joked, being known as “Peyton and Eli’s daddy.”

The sports legend offered tales of football and life dating back 40 years, when he was the Saints’ first-round pick. He then demonstrated through his sense of humor how he transitioned from being an archrival on the gridiron to a favorite son of Louisiana.

Manning, with his wife Olivia, raised two contemporary quarterback sons for the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants. He expressed appreciation to members of the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce last Tuesday for local support given to his Manning Passing Academy, which has offered specialized training to young football players every summer for the past seven years at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux.

Nicholls State is also the former training site for the Saints.

The family academy began in 1994 and moved to Thibodaux in 2004 because of the availability of space and room for growth. Participants over the years have represented 48 states, and players have traveled from as far away as Guam and Japan to learn football fundamentals from Manning and his sons.

It has been frequently noted that the Mannings do more than make celebrity appearances, they are at the camp from opening to close and offer direct interaction with participants along with a full staff of professional coaches.

“Last year, we had 1,200 campers, quarterbacks and receivers,” Manning said. “We always get more quarterbacks. Everybody thinks their little boy is going to be the next Joe Montana.”

The academy grew out of Manning’s observation that young players were not getting the kind of training they deserved when it came to preparing for prep- and college-level football.

“It’s not just football [that is covered] at camp,” the elder Manning said. “We have a lecture series for these kids about life.”

Today’s fans, however, are more plugged-in to Manning’s sons.

Manning told of a young fan who praised the former Saint for his own career, which ended with him having posted 2,011 completed passes for 23,911 yards and 125 touchdowns, as well as his individual 2,197 yards rushing for 18 touchdowns. The letter’s postscript took a twist, he said, when Manning was asked if he could get the writer autographs from Peyton and Eli.

The former Saints’ standout, while recognizing highlights of his playing days, did not hide the fact that his professional career record stands at 35-101-3 and is listed among the worst in NFL history among quarterbacks with more than 100 starts. The numbers, however, have not hindered fan admiration.

“[Manning] has been such a class act for so many years and done so much for Mississippi and Louisiana,” Terrebonne Economic Development Authority CEO Steve Vassallo said of his former Ole Miss classmate. “He has always been well grounded. Fame and fortune never got to his head. He is the same guy today as he was in 1968, ’69 and ’70. A lot of people cannot handle success, but Archie cannot only handle it, he has been a role model on how to handle it.”

“I retired from football to be a motivational speaker,” Manning said. “I came out of Ole Miss in 1970 and then got drafted by the Saints. I kept a diary during my years with the Saints and kept motivational speeches from coaches.”

Manning told stories of NFL coaches Hank Stram and Bum Phillips and how their sense of humor helped them cope during challenging years associated with a team that had one winning season out of 10. The former quarterback suggested that their examples helped him keep perspective as he faced life’s trials. “I truly appreciate all the people that support us over the years,” he said.

Manning’s presentation demonstrated why the Ole Miss and LSU rivalry is secretly a friendly one, and why Saints fans remain loyal whether their team is losing on the field or winning in life.

Former Saints quarterback Archie Manning signs a jersey for Ladonna Cruse while greeting long-time fans at the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce membership meeting. MIKE NIXON