In the Name of the Father: Family, Football, and the Manning Dynasty
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- $25.99
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- $25.99
Publisher Description
The story of America’s most sacred and carefully constructed football dynasty is revealed in this unflinching family portrait.
For generations, American athletes have enjoyed the ever-escalating celebrity lavished upon them when they combine on-the-field talent with off-the field charisma, but never before have we seen as transformative a sports dynasty as the Mannings: a bloodline of strong arms, Southern values, and savvy business instincts—each man compelling in his own right, made whole by family. But how, in just fifty years, did this private trio achieve football immortality? A gripping and definitive account, In the Name of the Father traces Archie, Peyton, and Eli’s roots from red-clay Mississippi to the bright lights of the Super Bowl to reveal the truth of their grit and dedication, their inherent ability, and the drama they endured behind closed doors.
As New York Times Notable biographer Mark Ribowsky meticulously chronicles, the road to football stardom was not paved smoothly for patriarch Archie. The most celebrated and beloved athlete to emerge from tiny Drew, Mississippi, Archie lost his father to suicide during his heyday at Ole Miss. Then, despite his playing through the pain, a string of surgeries prematurely ended a storied NFL career, most memorably spent with the New Orleans Saints. Similar savior-like expectations were passed to Archie’s eldest, Cooper, the most gifted of his brood, but the shocking discovery of a spinal condition prevented Cooper from ever playing a single snap of college ball. Luckily, Archie had been raising all three of his sons to love the gridiron, throwing deep balls to them off the front porch, and there were two more heir apparents in the wings.
Raised watching dusty old game films in the family den, Peyton was swiftly hailed as a generational talent, his record-breaking tenure at Tennessee paving a clear path to the NFL. Winning Super Bowls with both the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, he was able to overcome a debilitating neck injury—after barely being able to hold a football—to eclipse Archie in football success. It was Peyton who would first pair his football cachet with capitalism, selecting commercials and appearances to show off his humor and expand the now-ubiquitous Manning brand into mainstream popular culture.
And finally there was quiet Eli, with an arm and a career to match his big brother’s but a reserved and enigmatic affect all his own. The good-boy who followed his father to Ole Miss, Eli entered the NFL even more carefully managed then his brother was, forcing a trade when the lackluster San Diego Chargers selected him with the first pick in the draft. Even with two dramatic Super Bowl wins with the New York Giants, Eli’s lows have been catastrophic, and he has never been quite the media darling his brother is. But even as their football careers wind down, the power of the Manning name only grows.
Drawing on new interviews and research, Ribowsky reveals a family of transcendent talent and intense loyalty dedicated to maintaining an all-American façade that has, on occasion, shown cracks. From the family’s past steeped in problematic parts of Southern identity, to locker-room scandal turned lawsuit, to flashes of fraternal jealousy, Ribowsky leaves no stone unturned. Rich in gridiron dramatics and familial intrigue, In the Name of the Father is a quintessentially American saga of a multifaceted lineage that has forever changed the game.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ribowsky (The Last Cowboy) exuberantly explores the ongoing story of the Manning dynasty: former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the sons who followed in his footsteps. Archie was born in 1949 Mississippi, played for Ole Miss, and spent his pro career with the New Orleans Saints. Cooper Manning, Archie and Olivia Manning's first-born son, appeared NFL-bound until he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis at age 18. Sons Peyton and Eli, meanwhile, followed similar career paths as their father, and Ribowsky recounts practically every major game they've played since high school. Peyton attended the University of Tennessee and had an outstanding career with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos; he retired in 2015 at age 39 with an armful of NFL records (including most passing yards and most touchdown passes). Eli, meanwhile, attended his father's alma mater and quarterbacked the New York Giants for 14 seasons, winning the Super Bowl twice. Ribowsky thoroughly covers the on- and off-field drama in this sprawling biography, in which he traces the Manning lineage in the U.S. back to 1745; he discusses personal setbacks along the way, including allegations against Peyton of sexual harassment and performance-enhancing drug use. Football fans will be drawn to this inside look at the Mannings, one of the most talented sports families in American history.