Peyton Manning elected for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Feb 6, 2021, 8:49 PM
In what can only be described as the least-surprising news in quite some time, Peyton Manning was announced as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2021 in a ceremony on Saturday night. The former Broncos quarterback joins Alan Faneca, Tom Flores, Calvin Johnson, John Lynch, Bill Nunn, Drew Pearson and Charles Woodson as the next group of players to receive their gold jackets in Canton, Ohio.
Manning becomes the ninth Bronco inducted. He joins Floyd Little, John Elway, Gary Zimmerman, Steve Atwater, Shannon Sharpe, Terrell Davis, Champ Bailey and Pat Bowlen as Broncos in the Hall of Fame.
According to reports, that number will grow to 10. John Lynch will be a member of the class of 2021, as well.
Manning was essentially a shoo-in for the honor. The moment he announced his retirement, the clock was ticking on the five-year waiting period to be elected. Like former Broncos quarterback John Elway, Manning goes from winning the Super Bowl to the Hall of Fame, as both were first-ballot selections.
That’s not the only similarity, however. The two quarterbacks also share the distinction of having short presentations given when it came time for them to be considered by the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.
Mike Chappell from FOX59/CBS4 in Indianapolis presented Manning via a Zoom call on Jan. 19. He didn’t lay out the quarterback’s credentials.
“I’ll make it brief because my wifi is screwing up,” Chappell said. “I’ll just say: ‘Peyton Manning.’ I would drop my laptop, but I’m not going to do that, so just pretend that you see me dropping the mic. End of discussion.”
Shorts and sweet. Elway’s was even shorter, however.
When Woody Paige presented No. 7 back in 2003, he took three seconds to say three words. “Gentlemen, John Elway.”
That’s a record that may never be broken. Had Chappell outlined Manning’s accolades, there would’ve been a lot of them. When he retired following the 2015 season, the quarterback had amassed a stellar resume during his 18 seasons in the NFL.
• Two-time Super Bowl champion (XLI, 50)
• Super Bowl MVP (XLI)
• Five-time NFL Most Valuable Player (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013)
• Two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2004, 2013)
• NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2012)
• Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2005)
• Seven-time First-team All-Pro (2003–2005, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013)
• Three-time Second-team All-Pro (1999, 2000, 2006)
• 14-time Pro Bowl (1999, 2000, 2002–2010, 2012–2014)
• Three-time NFL passing yards leader (2000, 2003, 2013)
• Four-time NFL passing touchdowns leader (2000, 2004, 2006, 2013)
• Two-time NFL completion percentage leader (2003, 2012)
• Three-time NFL passer rating leader (2004–2006)
• NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
• NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
• Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor
• Indianapolis Colts No. 18 retired
• Denver Broncos No. 18 retired
While he retired with almost every passing record, Manning has since been surpassed by Tom Brady and Drew Brees on most lists. He does still hold some records, however:
• Most passing touchdowns in a season: 55
• Most passing yards in a season: 5,477
• Most touchdown passes in a game: 7 (tied)
For his career, Manning completed 6,125 of 9,380 passes (65.3%), for 71,940 yards, 539 touchdowns and just 251 interceptions, for a passer rating of 96.5.
Add it all up and it results in an invitation to join an exclusive club. Peyton Manning is officially a Hall of Fame quarterback.
