Happy 40th birthday, Peyton Manning!
The retired Broncos quarterback had an illustrious career on the football field, owning two Super Bowl rings and dozens of NFL records.
But he has also left a significant impact on pop culture over the years, from lifting the city of Omaha’s tourism to becoming the face of Papa John’s Pizza.
So, in no particular order, here’s 18 of the greatest commercial and television moments featuring No. 18:
No. 1: ” ” music video with Eli
Peyton teamed up with his brother Eli in 2013 to do a rap video for DirecTV. Yep, you read that right. This catchy three-minute video has the siblings in wigs and wearing, um, interesting fashion.
No. 2: ” “
Manning’s MasterCard commercial has the quarterback cheering people on as he does errands throughout the day.
No. 3:
Peyton and Eli as cops in this 2011 DirecTV commercial. Eli murders some guy with a football. It’s the most violent of the Manning commercials.
No. 4: Manning
The Sheriff proved he can rap. But can he sing? The answer is no. No he cannot. Manning recently joined Swindell to sing David Allan Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.”
No. 5: ” “
OK, maybe he can sing a little. Admit it, you’ve hummed along to the Nationwide commercial, too.
No. 6:
Manning showed his mechanics for how to throw a football in this Gatorade commercial: Wipe the windshield, elbow your brother and flick the booger off your finger.
No. 7:
Will Ferrell stops by ESPN to conduct an interview with the quarterback as his iconic character.
No. 8:
In this commercial for Sprint, Peyton dresses in a fake wig and mustache. “That guy’s pretty good if you like 6-5, 230-pound quarterbacks. Laser-rocket arm.”
No. 9:
Nestled in their bunk bed, Eli, Peyton and Cooper listen to Archie read a story before bed.
No. 10:
High-voiced Peyton Manning has a much better singing voice than his football-playing counterpart.
No. 11:
Manning’s arm strength has been questioned. This commercial doesn’t help his cause after a child throws the ball back to him.
No. 12:
This ESPN skit shows Manning’s interesting life. “If you tell anyone that I wrote ‘Womanizer,’ I promise you I’ll never write you another song. And Britney, I mean it.”
No. 13:
Gatorade’s life-sized Peyton Manning action toy. “Personal quarterback, he’s all yours!”
No. 14: Guest appearance on “The Simpsons”
The three Manning brothers had a guest appearance on the long-running series in 2009 on “O Brother, Where Bart Thou.” Here, he and Eli come to Bart’s dream to talk about brotherhood. Then they play keep-away with Cooper.
No. 15:
What if “The Blind Side” was a horror flick? “Eli, this is serious. The crazy lady is holding me prisoner in her house.”
No. 16:
Making an appearance on Letterman’s final top 10 list segment, Manning says: “Dave, you are to comedy what I am to comedy.”
No. 17:
The Manning brothers joined their parents for a tour of the ESPN building on this classic “SportsCenter” commercial. Peyton and Eli, like true brothers squirm around making each other’s lives miserable.
No. 18: on “Saturday Night Live”
Perhaps the greatest moment in Manning’s acting career, the future Hall of Fame quarterback terrorizes children in this “SNL” spoof of a United Way commercial.
CHEW ON THIS
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WATCH THIS
Emmanuel Mudiay made a on Wednesday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Eleven years before Peyton Manning was born, Mark Calaway entered the world. Better known as The Undertaker in the WWE, the 51-year-old will be performing in his 24th WrestleMania on April 3.
Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or @joenguyen
