Former Colts great Peyton Manning discusses football, business success at Rally

Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning spent 13 years in Indianapolis becoming one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks.

On Thursday, he returned to the city as the morning keynote speaker at the Rally innovation conference taking place this week at the Indiana Convention Center.

In a conversation with former Indiana Gov. and Purdue University President Mitch Daniels, Manning discussed his career, family, leadership and post-football business endeavors.

The Indianapolis Colts selected Manning with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. In a 17-year career that also included four seasons with the Denver Broncos, Manning won two Super Bowls and five Most Valuable Player awards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

After his retirement from playing in 2015, Manning started Omaha Productions, a content creation company named for his famous audible call that he would use to alert teammates when he was about to quickly change plays before the snap.

“All I can tell you is, I’m like a big deal in Omaha, Nebraska,” he joked. “A couple years ago, I got the key to the city. I got some steaks out of the deal.”

Omaha Productions produces content that has appeared on ESPN, such as “Peyton’s Places,” a football-themed documentary series, and “Manningcast,” a Monday Night Football broadcast with his brother Eli that has included guests such as former President Barack Obama, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the rapper Snoop Dogg.

“It’s been a fun way to be a part of some things and be part of that team,” Manning said. “Our goal is to produce positive, uplifting content that celebrates hard work, accomplishments and community, and there’s a lot of good stories to tell that fit into that category.”

In his post-football career, Manning said he tries to surround himself with people who understand the content creation industry. That means asking questions and letting others take the lead as he learns.

“I think that’s served me well in this second chapter,” he said. “I’m not afraid to ask questions. I’m not afraid to admit what I don’t know. I think those are good signs of leaders. Some people view asking questions as a sign of weakness. I think asking questions is how you wrench open windows and uncover potential solutions.”

Manning said that while he does not miss getting hit by defensive players such as former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, he misses being part of an NFL team.

“In the NFL, there’s 53 players on the team,” he said. “You do everything together. You practice together you watch film together. You travel together. I miss those plane rides after a win. There’s nothing quite like being on a plane with 53 of your friends after a hard-fought victory.”

Manning attributed his football and business success to a good family support system, coaches who taught him how to prepare and knowing how to adjust.

He acknowledged it took a lot of work to go from a rookie who threw an NFL first-season record 28 interceptions to being one of the sport’s all-time greatest players. There is a difference, he said, between being nervous and feeling pressure.

“I was always going to do my homework. I was going to know what I was doing,” he said. “Did I get nervous before games? You bet. I think it’s good to get nervous before a big opportunity. That means you care about the outcome. It means it’s important to you. Pressure, that’s different now. That means you haven’t prepared for that moment, and that’s a bad feeling.”

Referencing former Colts coach Tony Dungy, who was known for keeping his composure, Manning said that when a leader is calm, “it’s easy for the people following that leader will be calm as well.”

“I don’t think you should ever stop being coached no matter what level of success anyone reaches,” Manning added. “I think you need a coach to kind of keep you on track and to help you reach your full potential.”

Rally, which is organized by Indianapolis-based Elevate Ventures, continues through Thursday. The event, which aims to spur Indiana’s entrepreneurship and innovation activity, is aimed at business leaders, innovators and investors from both within and outside of Indiana. Elevate Ventures says just more than 3,000 people are expected to attend.

IBJ is providing Rally updates on a dedicated blog over the course of the three-day event.