Payton Manning is probably one of the most respected football players of all time...to everyone.
He also happens to be a very nice, down to earth guy. In 2007 he was in L.A. during the summer, he wanted to practice throwing the ball, so he called USC himself, not his agent or PR guy. Of course, he was invited, this was Payton Freakin' Manning!
"Several years ago, Manning was in Los Angeles in June and wanted to get a workout in, specifically to throw the football. So he called the USC football office and reached Carroll, then coach of the Trojans.
"I asked if his receivers and quarterbacks were throwing that day, and could I come over and join the throwing session because I was getting ready for training camp," Manning recalled Wednesday, saying he intended to throw whatever routes the team had been planning to throw.
Carroll, who wasn't in the office the day of the workout, made sure the red-and-gold carpet was rolled out for Manning, then quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts.
"Coach Carroll had eight receivers, four tight ends, four running backs all stretched, lathered up and ready to go when I got there," Manning said. "I said, 'What routes do you want to run?' They said, 'No, Coach Carroll said we are going to throw whatever routes you want to run. This was going to be your workout.' That's as good a treatment as you can get for a visitor to a different team."
Although Manning said his college football allegiance is always to Tennessee, his alma mater, "but on that day, Southern Cal helped me out."
The kids were absolutely giddy and star-struck to be on the same field as the great Payton Manning, they reported how nice he was, gave them football tips. They raved that they would never forget the experience that day, for the rest of their lives.
Guess my point is, SC being in L.A., they see celebrity alums, former players and NFL greats all the time on campus, but they were absolutely star struck when Manning walked out on the field. According to them, he could not have been nicer, he took his time with the kids after the session, and they appreciated it!
Vols have much to be proud of, he represents you well.
