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Peyton Manning's No. 18 Jersey Retired by Indianapolis Colts
October 8, 2017
The Indianapolis Colts retired Peyton Manning's No. 18 uniform at halftime of the team's game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
On Saturday, they unveiled a statue of the future Hall of Famer outside Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Colts even had David Letterman offer a tribute to Manning before Sunday's game:
Manning, 41, was picked No. 1 overall by the Colts in the 1998 draft. He played 13 seasons for the team, leading it to 11 playoff berths and a Super Bowl title in the 2006 season. With Indianapolis, he won four MVP awards, was a first-team All-Pro five times and was named to 11 Pro Bowls.
His time with the organization came to an end in 2012. After he missed the 2011 season with a neck injury, the Colts had the top overall pick and a chance to draft Stanford standout Andrew Luck. The two sides parted amicably, with the Colts releasing Manning.
He signed with the Denver Broncos and later won another MVP award and Super Bowl title, but it was his time in Indianapolis that established Manning as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Only Tom Brady presented an argument for being a more dominant quarterback while both men were in the league.
Manning also had a reputation as one of the most intelligent quarterbacks in NFL history, as he operated as another offensive coordinator on the field, regularly calling plays himself or audibling at the line of scrimmage. Few players in NFL history took on a larger role or assumed more responsibility than Manning did during his time with the Colts.
