Who is Arch Manning’s father? Meet Peyton and Eli .’s Big Brother originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Mannings pass on genes just as well as football.
The family’s quarterback legacy will continue with Arch Manning — Archie’s grandson and cousin to Peyton and Eli — have committed to the University of Texas on Thursday.
Arch, quarterback of Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, is the top recruit in the class of 2023. He chose Texas over other powerful programs, including Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Virginia and the two schools where his relatives played, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
While Arch’s grandfather and uncles are household names, some may be less familiar with his father, Cooper, who did not play in a Pro Bowl or win a Super Bowl. Though he might have done so if his football career hadn’t been cut short.
Now his son is about to usher in the next generation of Manning football.
Who is Arch Manning’s father?
He is the older brother of Peyton and Eli Manning.
Cooper Manning was the first of the brothers to appear destined for the NFL, just in a different position. While the rest of the football players in the family are famous for throwing footballs, Cooper enjoyed catching them.
As a 6-foot-4 wide receiver at Isidore Newman, with Peyton as his quarterback for part of his high school days, Cooper was named All-State after a 1000-yard season. He committed to Ole Miss, where his father Archie played quarterback.
Prior to his freshman season at Ole Miss in 1992, Cooper was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal, at age 18. The risk of paralysis ended Cooper’s football career.
Shortly after the diagnosis, Cooper wrote Peyton a letter.
“I want to make my dream of playing football come true through you”, cooper wrote:† “Even though I can’t play anymore, I know I can still get the same feeling when I see my little brother doing what he does best.”
Now he can watch his son do what he does best at a collegiate level.
Cooper has had a successful career off the field. Cooper previously co-owned an energy investment firm and is currently a senior managing director of investor relations at AJ Capital Partners, a hospitality and real estate investment firm. Cooper, a journalism major at Ole Miss, hosts “The Manning Hour,” a segment on FOX NFL Kickoff.
He is also a loving big brother.
How is Arch Manning related to Peyton and Eli?
Cooper’s younger brothers and Arch’s uncles helped make the Mannings the royal family of the NFL.
Peyton was the first to follow in the footsteps of his father Archie, who played for Ole Miss before throwing nearly 24,000 yards during 14 seasons in the NFL (1971-1984) as the quarterback for the Saints, Oilers and Vikings.
Peyton, after becoming Tennessee’s greatest passer of all time, was the Colts’ first overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft. He went on to win two Super Bowls, one of which was with the Broncos, as he was the first to start. QB who won a championship with more than one organization. The five-time MVP and fourteen-time Pro Bowler was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Eli, the top pick in the 2004 NFL Draft after starring in his father’s alma mater, expanded the family legacy. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants, earned MVP in each, and was named to four Pro Bowls during his 16-year career.
“I’m just a proud brother and I love watching them play football,” Cooper said in 2013† “It’s much less about me, it’s more about being proud of them and loving them and being a part of them. I often wonder what my Sundays will be like when they don’t play anymore.”
His Sundays could soon be spent watching another Manning in the NFL.