The Mannings know how to take over a room.
Eli and Peyton Manning, after all, are two of the most accomplished athletes of their generation and have become just as successful in the entertainment industry, where their “Manning Cast” show has become a Monday night staple during football season.
So it was no surprise that the former star quarterbacks stole the show at the Allstate Sugar Bowl awards banquet Wednesday night at the Superdome as the headliners for the . They entertained the standing-room-only crowd with memories of their combined four Super Bowl championships and nostalgic stories of their playing days at Isidore Newman School.
“It’s a great honor,” Eli Manning said of his Hall of Fame induction. “I love New Orleans. When we came to play the Saints, I’m such a loyal person that I let the Saints beat me every time I played here.”
The Mannings’ free-wheeling conversations with older brother and roundtable emcee Cooper punctuated the awards ceremony, conducted annually by the Sugar Bowl to recognize and honor the top athletes and teams in New Orleans and the state of h. The brothers delighted the crowd with their humility and trademark deadpan humor.
When asked by Cooper about the many records he set during his Hall of Fame career with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, Peyton quipped: “I threw 28 interceptions, which is still an NFL all-time rookie record that I hold today. It's actually very hard to do. I had to be a 16-game starter to break it. Eli would have broken it for sure, but he only started six games his rookie year."
The Mannings also elicited chuckles with their comments about the Manning Cast, which has been extremely successful and is entering its sixth season.
"When ESPN first to came to us with the idea,” Peyton said. “Eli asked them ‘Let me get this straight, you want to pay me to watch football with my brother from my house? I know I went to Ole Miss, and I’m not that smart, but that sounds like a pretty good deal.'"
Eli added: “Tom Coughlin was my head coach with the Giants, and he used to yell at me a lot. Peyton now yells at me a lot on TV. So (the ManningCast) has worked out well.”’
Peyton Manning reminisced about his playing days in the Carrollton youth league at Audubon Park and later at Newman, where he passed for more than 7,000 yards and 92 touchdowns, while earning National Player of the Year honors as a senior.
He also spoke about his record-setting career at the University of Tennessee and his Hall of Fame carer in the NFL, where he earned a record five MVP awards and became the first quarterback to win Super Bowls with two teams (Colts and Broncos).
“I was always proud to be from New Orleans,” Peyton Manning said. “Just incredible memories here in New Orleans and a real honor to join Eli and Bo here in the New Orleans Hall of Fame. It means a lot.”
Likewise, Eli Manning spoke wistfully about his playing days at Newman, where he set a then-school record with 7,389 passing yards and 89 touchdowns, while earning three all-state selections and h Player of the Year honors. He later starred at Ole Miss, where he set or tied 47 school records, and then went on to win two Super Bowls and earn four Pro Bowl invitations during stellar 16-year career with the New York Giants.
“It’s a great honor,” Eli said. “I love New Orleans. To this day, some of my best friends in the world are my buddies that I went to elementary school and Newman with. I just love the people here.”
The Manning brothers were joined in the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 by former O. Perry Walker High and University of New Orleans standout Bo McCalebb.
McCalebb set scoring records at UNO from 2003-08 and enjoyed a 10-year professional career internationally as a high-scoring point guard. A 2003 graduate of O. Perry Walker High School, he averaged 20.9 points in his four-year UNO career and played in a school-record 128 games. He led the Sun Belt in scoring three times and finished his career with a UNO-record 250 steals. His 2,679 points are UNO and Sun Belt Conference career records and rank 36th all-time among NCAA Division I men.
“It means everything to me,” said McCalebb, who was inducted into the UNO Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023 and the h Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025. “I love the city (of New Orleans). I love the university (of New Orleans). It hasn’t kicked in yet. Everything feels surreal.”
In addition to enshrining the three Hall of Fame inductees, the Sugar Bowl also recognized its annual James J. Corbett Award winners, LSU gymnastics star Kailin Chio and Brother Martin High School track and football standout Easton Royal, as the top female and male non-professional athletes in the state of h. Royal was also recognized as the New Orleans area outstanding male athlete of the year. Leah Varsico, a four-sport standout at Sacred Heart, was the New Orleans area athlete of the year. Longtime outdoors journalist Don Dubuc was honored as the Jimmy Collins award winner.
The award winners and Hall of Famers were selected by the New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.