Pat Summit Prevented Peyton Manning From Entering 1997 Draft

Peyton Manning was an icon from the moment he entered the NFL in 1998. Many may not know he almost came out a year early.

Following his junior year in 1996, Manning was considering the decision of whether or not to stay at Tennessee for his senior season or declare for the 1997 draft. He’d thrown for over 3,200 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He likely would’ve been a 1st round pick given Jim Druckenmiller was the only man to do so that year. In fact, Jake Plummer was the only member of that quarterback class to even make a Pro Bowl. Chances are Manning would’ve easily been a top 10 or top five pick.

How different the St. Louis Rams, who owned the #1 pick that year might’ve looked had he been available. Their Greatest Show on Turf offense might’ve had Manning at the trigger rather than Kurt Warner. Could one imagine a Brady vs. Manning Super Bowl in 2001? Fascinating to think about, and it almost happened had it not been for the advice of a number of close friends and colleagues, including legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summit.

Recently deceased after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, she was the first of any college basketball coach to hit the 1,000-win mark (1,098) and compiled eight championships during his Hall of Fame career. Her players spoke and continue to speak glowingly of her and the impact she had on their lives, both on and off the court.

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Turns out Manning himself gave much credit to the Queen Vol for steering his professional direction.

"“I’ve always been honored to call Pat Summitt my friend. She was always very supportive of my career and I enjoyed seeing her back at a Tennessee football game or when she would come to Indianapolis to see Tamika Catchings play. We would always get together and I made it a point when I came to Knoxville to visit with her.“She was one of the people I consulted with following my junior year when I was deciding whether to turn pro early or stay in college. She gave me some very valuable advice during that time. My teammates and I went to a lot of Lady Vols games when we were in school, and I really enjoyed watching her teams play.“I just always appreciated Pat’s friendship and support. I was always impressed with how all of her former players spoke about her. You speak to people like Tamika Catchings or Chamique Holdsclaw, and they just talk about the role that Pat played in all their lives on and off the court. You can just tell the impact that she had on those players.“It would have been a great experience to play for her. She could have coached any team, any sport, men’s or women’s. It wouldn’t have mattered because Pat could flat out coach…”"

This shouldn’t be a surprise. Pat Summit was a demanding head coach during games, but she was equally uncompromising when it came to the performance of her athletes in the classroom. In her 38 long years of coaching, every single one of the girls who played on her teams graduated with a college degree. That might be her greatest legacy right there, and there can be little doubt she conveyed the same message to Peyton Manning.

Sports success is finite, but a good education lasts a lifetime. As a result Manning chose to stay at Tennessee another year, ripped the league up with 36 touchdown passes, finished 2nd in the Heisman voting and went #1 overall to the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. The rest is history.

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