INDIANAPOLIS - The NFL tonight announced former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning as an inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021. The Class of 2021 will be formally enshrined in Canton, Ohio on Sunday, August 8, 2021.
Statement from Colts Owner & CEO Jim Irsay:
"It's almost an impossible task to put into words what Peyton Manning has meant to the Colts, the NFL, the city of Indianapolis, the state of Indiana, and fans across the globe. His preparation, performance, and success on the field were legendary and speak for itself. Books have been and will continue to be written about the impact he and his family have made in all aspects of sports and life.
"As one of the best to ever play, Peyton is rightfully credited for revolutionizing and mastering the quarterback position, the most important position in all of sports. There have been many greats to play the game, but few had the absolute command of the field as Peyton did. Simply put, he changed the way quarterbacks play the game, and every quarterback since has learned from watching him.
"One largely unsung impact he had was on the game of football in Indiana. Often known as a basketball state, Indiana saw an explosion of participation and interest in football at all levels once Peyton came to town in 1998. The sport is thriving in our state in large part because of him.
"But as we all know Peyton is bigger than just football. His accomplishments off the field are well known and too numerous to list. Peyton gave back to our community just as passionately as he played on the field, and whenever the community called on him, he answered. For that we will be grateful always. Our franchise, our city and state, and our fans were forever changed by Peyton Manning, and we congratulate him for receiving this highest honor in pro football."
Manning becomes the second Colts quarterback to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining John Unitas (1979). Manning was originally selected by Indianapolis with the first overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. He was a member of the Colts' Super Bowl XLI victory and was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor in 2017. Manning's No. 18 jersey was the first number from the Indianapolis era to be retired by the team, joining Raymond Berry (No. 82), Art Donovan (No. 70), Gino Marchetti (No. 89), Lenny Moore (No. 24), Jim Parker (No. 77), John Unitas (No. 19) and Buddy Young (No. 22).
Manning spent 13 seasons (1998-2010) as the starting quarterback in Indianapolis and completed 4,682-of-7,210 passes for 54,828 yards with 399 touchdowns and 198 interceptions for a 94.9 quarterback rating. He guided the Colts to their second Super Bowl victory (Super Bowl XLI) in franchise history while reaching the championship game again following the 2009 regular season. Manning was selected to play in 11 Pro Bowls as a member of the Colts (1999-2000, 2002-2010), which is tied for a franchise-best with defensive tackle Gino Marchetti. In 2009, Manning became the NFL's first four-time Associated Press Most Valuable Player (2003-04, 2008-09). He holds club seasonal and career records in completions, attempts and touchdowns and also holds the team record in career games started with 208. Manning led the team to a franchise-record 14 victories in 2005 and 2009 and helped lead the club to become the first in NFL history to win 11-plus and 12-plus games in seven consecutive seasons.
Over his 18-year career with Indianapolis (1998-2011) and the Denver Broncos (2012-15), Manning reset the National Football League record book. He ranks in the top five in league history in every major passing statistic, including attempts (9,380, fourth), completions (6,125, fourth), yards (71,940, third) and touchdowns (539, third). Manning is the only five-time Most Valuable Player and his 14 Pro Bowls are tied for the most in league history. Among numerous honors, he was named All-Pro 10 times (seven first-team, three second-team), AFC Offensive Player of the Week 27 times and AFC Offensive Player of the Month eight times.
Manning is the only quarterback in NFL history to lead multiple teams (Indianapolis-2006, Denver-2015) to Super Bowl titles. He registered the second-most wins by a starting quarterback (200 victories in regular season and playoffs) all-time and his 186 regular season wins are tied for the second-most by a starting quarterback in league history. Manning helped lead his team to the playoffs 15 times and is one of three quarterbacks to defeat all 32 NFL teams. His 14 career 4,000-yard passing seasons are a league record and he owns 102 total games (93 regular season, nine postseason) with 300-plus yards passing (third in league history). Manning registered 99 games (93 regular season, six postseason) with three or more touchdowns, which ranks third in NFL history.
