Denver Broncos

The 11 best parts about Peyton Manning's touching retirement speech

Published Mar. 7, 2016 2:00 p.m. ET

foxsports

On Monday morning at 11 a.m. MT, Peyton Manning stood before the press and dozens of television cameras to announce his retirement from the NFL. After introductions by Denver's president, general manager and coach, Manning gave a phenomenal speech, one that was heartfelt, funny, celebratory, sad and joyous all at the same time. Here are the 11 highlights.

1. Five -- that's the amount of times Manning cried or began to break down during the press conference, including while telling a poignant story about his daughter asking whether the Super Bowl was his last game and then joking that Adam Schefter had gotten to her to "cultivate a new source." That was the basic tenor of the press conference -- deep but humorous, sad but self-deprecating. It was a sad day that was kept into perspective and hit the right notes.

2. He discussed something Johnny Unitas told him upon the Colts' return to Baltimore in Manning's second season. "Peyton stay at it, I'm pulling for you," he said Unitas told him. Then Manning, choking up, said "I hope ol' No. 19 is up there with his flattop and maybe his black high tops on and hope he knows I stayed at it and maybe he's even a little proud of me."

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

3. Manning wore a blue shirt and blue tie. A shout out to the Indianapolis Colts, maybe? Given that he was the biggest micromanager in the game, don't act like he didn't arrange every single thing about this press conference. (Joe Ellis, John Elway and Gary Kubiak all wore orange ties, by the way.)

4. He wasn't above pranking his coach. Manning said that when he completed a workout during his recovery from injury -- the passing session in which he knew he was ready to come back -- he threw his last ball then looked at the camera taping the session and flipped it off, a message for Kubiak.

5. He joked that Patriots fans should miss him because they'd gotten so many wins against him. Peyton was 9-15 against the Pats.

6. Manning told a great story about how his grandfather kept asking when John Madden and Pat Summerall would call his game. Manning said he had to explain that when the 2-8 Colts were playing the 3-7 Bengals, you don't get the top team (not to mention that it would have been on CBS). Assuming that Manning's recall was like A Beautiful Mind, I hoped his memory would be perfect on that, but it was just slightly off: Both teams were 2-11 in their Week 14 meeting. He was right about getting Madden and Summerall for a game the following year against the Cowboys.

7. Manning thanked Super Bowl MVP Von Miller for returning from his "celebrity tour," referring to the talk-show circuit Miller has made over the past month, one that has transformed him from a great defensive player into one of the most famous athletes in the league.

8. He was asked about the controversial, debated incident at the University of Tennessee. Peyton said he didn't do it, demurred to speak further, saying this was a joyous day and then, quoting Forrest Gump, said "and that's all I have to say about that."

9. Peyton Manning's son wore this suit: