Monday, March 7, 2016

One Last "Omaha!"

I will miss watching this guy play football! (You can check out his entire retirement speech and press conference here.)

Some of my fondest memories are of Peyton playing for the University of Tennessee. I even had the privilege of taking my two oldest daughters, Chelsea and Caley, to watch him play his last home game as a Tennessee Vol at Neyland Stadium - November 29, 1997 against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Tennessee won 17-10. Almost 107,000 people were there to see that game! 

Peyton was the topic of so many great conversations I had with my Dad, brothers and friends. My dad loved Tennessee football and he loved watching Peyton Manning play it. 

Dad was never a big “pro guy,” but he followed Peyton to the Indianapolis Colts and became a Colts fan. I was living in South Florida during the first part of that time, and so many Sunday night or Monday morning phone calls with my Dad were about what happened at church that day and how Peyton was doing at Indy. Sometimes you would have thought he was a member of the family. 

Dad had always believed that Peyton could get UT to a national championship. It never happened! But a year after Peyton graduated, UT finally won the big game! Dad was ecstatic! Man, I love those memories... 

Then, in 2007,  Dad got to watch Peyton win his first Super Bowl with the Colts! That was the last pro game my Dad would  watch. In August of 2008, he would pass away of brain cancer.  

Today as I watched Peyton's retirement speech, I got a little choked up, too. It’s funny how we get attached to people we’ve never met or known. How somehow, someway, they touch our lives, they become part of our “family,” they become inspiration and motivation. 

I’ve been a Peyton fan since his days at UT, as an Indianapolis Colt and as a Denver Bronco. Man, I’ll miss watching this dude play football. I’ll miss hearing him say, “Omaha!” I’ll miss his clashes with Tom Brady and the nefarious Patriots. I’ll miss his diligence in terms of preparation! I’ll miss his sportsmanship! I'll miss his obvious love for the game!  

I wish Peyton Manning and his wife and family the absolute best! 

Thanks for 22 years of great football! Thanks for your time as a Vol, Colt and Bronco! You made football so much fun to watch!

It is my sincere prayer that the next part of Peyton's adventure continue to enrich the lives of men, women and children, the way watching him on Saturday and Sunday enriched me and my Dad's life. It’s my prayer that he continue to make a difference in the world through his charity work and kindness to people! 

Peyton is truly one of the all time greats! 

We’ll miss watching you play football, but we know that you’ve still got a lot of living yet to do, and still have the chance to make an even greater difference with your life! 

"Football has taught me not to be led by obstructions and setbacks but instead to be led by dreams.” —Peyton Manning

Keep dreaming, Peyton!