‘A Life-Changing Experience’
By Tom Mattingly
Cooper Manning’s son, Arch, had his coming-out party as starting quarterback at Texas at SEC Media Days in mid-July. That elicited significant memories of an association with the Manning family, particularly Archie, now covering three generations and nearly 60 years.
It was late February or early March 1998.
A man walked by the office, said “Hello” as he passed by, and headed down the hall, apparently toward Doug Dickey’s office. He returned in a few moments, and we exchanged pleasantries once again. I thought I needed to know who he was and what he wanted.
It was a significant life moment. His name was Charley Kiger, and he was from UMI Press in Charlotte, N.C. As we talked, he told me he was looking for a writer who could do a book on Peyton ‘s University of Tennessee career that Archie had authorized.
I remember saying, “Come on in.” We sat down and began talking. He outlined the details and said Archie would provide color pictures from the family album. I always wanted to prepare a book manuscript and was getting ready to find out how it worked.
Would I be interested?
The answer came quickly.
“Yes.”
He seemed to be relieved that he had found his man. It didn’t take long to quickly examine a proposed contract, and within days, I was on my way to being the author of a book titled “Peyton Manning: The Tennessee Years.” There were a great many weekend days on the horizon devoted to doing the appropriate research.
That meeting set the memory banks in motion, back to the late 1960s at Neyland Stadium on the newly installed Tartan Turf.
Tennessee and Ole Miss had squared off on Nov. 16, 1968, and I remembered seeing Archie, then a sophomore, wearing the traditional dark blue jersey and gray pants on the east side of Shields-Watkins Field. He wore No. 18, the number that would become closely identified with the Manning family. That day, he endured a 31-0 loss to the Vols.
A year later, Nov. 15, 1969, Archie and No. 18 Ole Miss laid a 38-0 haymaker on the undefeated and No. 3-rated Vols. It was one of the darkest and longest days any Vol fans had experienced at any venue. Vol fans wore “Archie Who?” buttons to the game and lived to regret it.
On that day and well beyond, no one ever anticipated that the Vols would be in hot pursuit of a quarterback from New Orleans named Peyton Williams Manning, Archie and Olivia’s second son. He would help lead the Vols to great heights from 1994-97 and, like Archie, would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
There was an intriguing set of circumstances in the early days of 1970. Doug Dickey had left for Florida in early January. Entering his senior season at Ole Miss, Archie was thought to be a Heisman candidate. Bill Battle, 28, was the new Vol head coach.
On the field, the Vols were loaded, finishing No. 4 nationally, although there were serious concerns about the Vol secondary and too many sophomores in key positions entering the season. As a result the Vols weren’t ranked until the Oct. 10 poll at No. 20.
The 1970 season was the first for an 11-game schedule. On Feb. 6, Tom Siler wrote about the possibility of a season-opening Sept. 12, 1970 matchup between Ole Miss and Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. Ole Miss coach Johnny Vaught and AD Tad Smith indicated the Rebels would be “delighted” to play that day. No comment was forthcoming from Tennessee.
The Vols did choose UCLA as their 11th game, one to be played Dec. 5 in Knoxville. Ole Miss chose not to play the extra game.
West Tennessee Vol Historian John Park has said that the season opener proposed for Sept. 12 was likely “the biggest Tennessee game that never happened.”
I don’t remember the first time I actually met Archie, but I do remember what Archie said over the phone after the book had been out a month or so.
I answered the phone, “Sports Information.”
“Tom. This is Archie Manning.”
“Hello, Archie.”
“Tom, I want you to know you did a fine job on Peyton’s book.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Well, bye.”
Those 14 words are etched in my mind and are likely to stay there forever.
Archie is now 76 years old, the elder statesman of a famous football family. The three sons he and wife, Olivia, raised are all successful in their chosen fields. Peyton and Eli each won Super Bowls. There are nine grandchildren. Life is good.
Arch is the projected starter at Texas, carrying on the Manning legacy. He will take the field wearing No. 16, a number worn by legendary Texas quarterback James Street (1967-70) and Uncle Peyton at Tennessee (1994-97).
For Archie, it’s been a good life.
There’s a lesson to be learned from all of this. If you’re a writer and a man walks by your office and offers a writing assignment, don’t dawdle. It could be a life-changing moment.
