INDIANAPOLIS — In his first year of eligibility, former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The announcement came late Saturday. Manning and the rest of the Class of 2021 will be formally enshrined on August 8 in Canton, Ohio.
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 a pair of Super Bowls, including their Super Bowl XLI victory. Manning was selected to 11 Pro Bowls while a Colt and in 2009, became the NFL’s first four-time Associated Press Most Valuable Player (2003-04, 2008-09).
Manning holds club seasonal and career records in completions, attempts and touchdowns and also holds the team record in career games started with 208. He 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).
“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," said team owner Jim Irsay. "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," said Irsay.
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 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.
Joining Manning in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021 are guard Alan Faneca, coach Tom Flores, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, free safety John Lynch, contributor Bill Nunn, wide receiver Drew Pearson and defensive back Charles Woodson.
