Eli Manning Biography
College career
Prior to making his college decision, Eli received a call from David Cutcliffe, formerly the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee. Cutcliffe had been hired as the head coach at Ole Miss and had previously helped older brother Peyton improve his game. Upon learning Cutcliffe was now in charge of the Rebel program, the 18-year-old followed his father’s footsteps, and made his way to Oxford, Mississippi.
While at the University of Mississippi, Eli Manning studied for a marketing major. During his football career at Ole Miss, Eli set or tied 47 single-game, season, and career records. His career numbers include 10,119 passing yards (fifth on the SEC career list), 81 touchdown passes (third on the SEC career list), and a passer rating of 137.7 (tied for sixth on the SEC career list).
In 2001, Manning earned honorable mention All-America honors from Football News and collegefootballnews.com. He also won the 2001 Conerly Trophy, given to the top collegiate football player in the state of Mississippi. He was one of 12 semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top quarterback. Before the season, Manning was named to the Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook's 2001 preseason All-SEC first team.
In 2002, Manning was named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. The Associated Press voted him second team All-SEC after the season. He was also named the Best Leader in the SEC by The Birmingham News. Before the season, Manning was selected to the 2002 All-America team. He also was named to the preseason All-SEC second team by The Birmingham News, The Sporting News, and the Southeastern Post.
In 2003, Manning led the Rebels to a 10-3 record and a 31-28 SBC Cotton Bowl victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He earned numerous accolades for his play. He won the Maxwell Award, given to the nation's top player and the Conerly Trophy, as the best college football player in Mississippi. He also won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the nation's top senior quarterback. He was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top quarterback. He was also a finalist for The Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year Award. He earned first team All-America honors from The All-America Foundation and Southern Football Weekly. He was named second team All-America by The Associated Press and The Sporting News, and honorable mention All-America by Sports Illustrated. He was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press and the SEC Coaches. He was selected as the SEC Player of the Year by The Commercial Appeal and the SEC Coaches. He won the Charlie Conerly Award, given to the top collegiate student-athlete in the state of Mississippi. He was named the 2003 SEC Most Valuable Back by the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club. He received the Touchdown Club of Atlanta Wally Butts Award as the Southeast's Top Offensive Back. He earned first team All-SEC honors by both The Associated Press and SEC Coaches. He also garnered All-SEC honors from The Chattanooga Times Free Press, CollegeFootballNews.com, and The Commercial Appeal. He was selected as the 2003 Mississippi Amateur Athlete of the Year by the Jackson Touchdown Club. The Clarion-Ledger named him Mississippi Sportsperson of the Year. He was invited to play in the 2004 Senior Bowl, but chose not to play. He was also named to the SEC Good Works Team. Before the season, Manning was named to the 2003 preseason All-America first team by Lindy's and Football Action. He was also named to the 2003 preseason All-America team.