Peyton Manning quarterbacked the Indianapolis Colts to a 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl of 2007. He was the Colts' signature star from 1998 until he was released by the team in 2012. Peyton Manning entered the National Football League when he was chosen by the Colts as the first overall draft pick in 1998. The son of NFL quarterback Archie Manning, Peyton was a star at the University of Tennessee for four years before turning pro. In the years since, Manning has compiled a brilliant record that puts him among elite NFL quarterbacks like Brett Favre and Steve Young.  Off the field, Manning's average-guy appeal has made him one of the NFL's more visible players, and he can be seen advertising a variety of products on TV and in print. Peyton Manning's critics long argued that his prowess on the field was overshadowed by his team's habit of coming up short in big playoff games; despite season after season of stellar play and winning records, Manning and the Colts did not advance to the Super Bowl until 2007, after the 2006 season. That year he led the Colts to the championship and was named the Super Bowl's most valuable player. At the end of the 2009 season he led the Colts to the Super Bowl again, where they lost to the New Orleans Saints, 31-17. Peyton Manning signed a new five-year contract with Indianapolis in 2011, one worth $90 million over five years. However, he had neck surgeries in May and September of that year -- the latter a "one-level cervical neck fusion" -- which kept him off the field for the entire 2011 NFL season.  Facing a $28 million payment due to Manning on March 8th of 2012, the Colts cut their star player on March 7th of that year. Manning said he did not plan to retire, and in March 2012 it was reported that he would join the Denver Broncos.

Peyton Manning wears jersey number 18... Archie Manning played for the New Orleans Saints, the Houston Oilers and the Minnesota Vikings in a career that lasted from 1971 to 1984 ... Peyton's younger brother Eli Manning plays quarterback for the NFL's New York Giants. Peyton Manning was the Super Bowl MVP in 2008, the year after Peyton won the award; they're the first brothers to quarterback Super Bowl-winning teams... Peyton Manning is 6'5" tall, according to NFL.com... Peyton Manning and his wife Ashley were married in 2001. They had their first children, twins, on 31 March 2011: daughter Mosley Thompson Manning and son Marshall Williams Manning.