Peyton Manning

Leadership, responsibility, self-discipline, bravery, perseverance, a good role model- I think that’s what makes a true hero. Peyton Manning has all of these traits.

Peyton Manning is one of the main people who inspired me to play football, but that’s not the real reason that he is my hero. He is my hero because, after the devastation of hurricane Katrina, he and his brother Eli (raised in New Orleans) and several teammates flew to New Orleans to give over 37,000 lbs of supplies to survivors. These supplies included baby diapers, baby formula and small amounts of food. Just a week later, he made a large money donation to Red Cross as well as sending insulin, pillows, Gatorade and food.

"Being in Indianapolis and seeing what's going on, it's hard to sit still,” said Manning, “It’s personal with me, because it is my hometown. My family is safe, but it's still your town. A town is like family. It's difficult to watch."

Peyton Manning (www.wikipedia.com)

Manning is an NFL quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. He is the son of Archie Manning- a former New Orleans Saints quarterback. His brother, Eli Manning, is also a NFL quarterback.

Peyton went to college at the University of Tennessee and was the first overall NFL draft pick in 1998. He became the highest paid NFL player when the Colts offered him a $99.2m contract for seven years with a $34.5m signing bonus. Many people, including me, consider Manning the best QB ever in the NFL. He broke Dan Marino’s touchdown passing record with 49 TD passes and broke Steve Young’s QB rating with a 121.1 point rating. But even with all of these records, he still has yet to win a Super Bowl.

Peyton Manning inspires me because of his great qualities and his skills as a football player. I hope to someday be just like him and all of the other hurricane relief contributors.