Manning played for the Oilers, then Vikings, during the twilight of his career.
The Manning family football dynasty started with Archie Manning, who played 13 seasons in the NFL, most of those years with the New Orleans Saints (1971-1982). Manning was a 2x Pro Bowler, is enshrined in the New Orleans Saints Ring of Honor, and was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame, among the other accolades he has been accorded.
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But what many people don’t know is that Manning was once a Houston Oiler.
The Oilers, who play as the Tennessee Titans these days, were a good team in the late 1970s, having been to the AFC Championship in consecutive years, 1978 and 1979. They were quarterbacked by Dan Pastorini, who was then traded to Oakland Raiders.
The Oilers needed a quarterback, and the team brought in Kenny Stabler of Oakland Raiders fame. When Stabler left for the Saints in 1982, the Oilers needed a new signal-caller, and Manning was a proven commodity.
So, in the twilight of Manning’s career (1982-83), Manning played for the Oilers. He started in eight of the nine games he played, going 0-8 as a starter, throwing for 1600 yards with eight TDs and 14 INTs.
Manning relocated to the Minnesota Vikings in 1983 (Manning’s last year as a pro), where he went 0-2 as a starter. So, after finishing up as a Saint, Manning never won a game (going 0-10) for the Oilers and Vikings.
While Archie Manning was a talented quarterback, he never played in a Super Bowl or even participated in a playoff game. Thankfully, sons Peyton and Eli did, and they won, too. Grandson Arch Manning may be on the same track. But, first, he has work to do with the University of Texas Longhorns.
