Future Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning changed the sport of football forever through the course of his 18-year career, and following his retirement from the NFL he's being remembered for all the great accomplishments he achieved in his career.
The former No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft turned the Indianapolis Colts into one of the premier franchises in the NFL, and led the franchise to their only Super Bowl win in Indianapolis. The Colts celebrated Manning's historic career on Friday, and owner Jim Irsay announced that the organization would be building a statue of Manning outside Lucas Oil Stadium and would be retiring his jersey No. 18.
"I think I speak for all Colt fans when I kind of feel like he's ours," said Irsay. "I just can't say enough about what he's meant for this franchise - the city and state. Just simply run out of words thinking about how much No. 18 means to us, and so actions are the most powerful thing in life, more powerful than words."
Manning holds multiple NFL records after his 18-year career, and left the Colts as their all-time leading passer in both yards and touchdowns. Manning became the winningest quarterback in the history of the sport with his 200th career win in Super Bowl 50, and became the first starting quarterback to win two Super Bowls with different teams.
While many of Manning's records are expected to be broken eventually, he believes one will record will stand the test of time. Manning and Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison set the NFL record for most touchdowns passes between a wide receiver-quarterback pairing with 114 touchdowns. Colts fans remember the strong connection between Manning and Harrison over the years, and it's hard to think of any current combination in the NFL that could come close to their numbers.
"It's not often you build a statue of someone in their lifetime, but we are really excited about putting this iconic statue outside Lucas Oil Stadium where it will stand for many, many years," said Irsay. Manning changed the sport of football on a intellectual level changing how quarterbacks read defenses on the field, and joins Johnny Unitas as the two greatest quarterbacks to ever put on a Colts uniform.
