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It’s pretty hard to argue there’s any single family that’s managed to produce the sheer amount of football talent the Manning clan has been able to boast over the decades.
The family’s quarterback dynasty can be traced back to Archie Manning, who played at Ole Miss prior to an NFL career that spanned 13 years.
Peyton and Eli eventually followed in his footsteps, and while his eldest son Cooper (the father of current Texas QB Arch Manning) was poised to do the same, he was forced to bring his career to a premature end after being diagnosed with spinal stenosis before he was slated to begin his freshman season at his dad’s alma mater.
Anyone who’s tuned into “The Manningcast” knows the Manning Bros have a pretty great sense of humor, and while Peyton and Eli may get the most props, Cooper can certainly hold his own thanks to a story the former shared at a fundraiser ahead of the Dana LPGA Open earlier this week.
Cooper had plenty of chances to watch his brothers do their thing in person when they were in college, which included a weekend when he took a trip to Knoxville to watch Peyton face off against Kentucky while he was enrolled at the University of Tennessee.
According to The Toledo Blade, Cooper opted to hit up a bar near campus the night before the contest and eventually attracted the attention of a Vols fan who (understandably) mistook him for Peyton.
The fan in question was (also understandably) less than thrilled to see who he thought was the team’s starting quarterback drinking whiskey and smoking a stogie on the eve of a contest, and as Peyton recalled, Cooper seized on the opportunity to have some fun at the guy’s (and the Wildcats’) expense:
“He comes up to him and says, ‘Peyton, what in the world are you doing out? It’s midnight and we’ve got a game tomorrow!
Cooper took a little swig, puffed on the cigar, and said, ‘Relax, we’re just playing Kentucky.'”
Well played.