The Manning clan in 1981: Future Giants quarterback Eli sits on Olivia’s lap, while Peyton poses in the foreground. (Sports Illustrated)
Planning a Thanksgiving feast for the first family of football is no easy task, but it’s something that gridiron matriarch Olivia Manning — mother of NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli and wife of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning — would never fumble.
She and Archie arrive in New York tomorrow to spend the holiday with their youngest son, Giants gunslinger Eli, and his pregnant wife Abby at their Hoboken home.
“Eli invited some single teammates, and Abby’s sister lives in town, so we’ll have a nice crew,” says Olivia.
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She says she’s fallen quite easily into a menu-planning rapport with her daughter-in-law.
“Abby and I are super-close. We have such a good relationship,” says Olivia, 61, of her daughter-in-law, whom Eli met at the University of Mississippi and married in 2008.
“We’ve done this before, and we’ve got it down pat. We e-mailed the menu back and forth — Abby ordered a Cajun fried turkey and corn soufflé from Neiman Marcus. She also ordered another baked one from a place in Hoboken,” says Olivia.
Not on the menu is any kind of casserole — a dish that apparently strikes more fear in the heart of Eli Manning than an oncoming linebacker.
“[Eli] doesn’t like anything if you say it’s a casserole. He used to be my pickiest eater, but he’s gotten better. He still likes the simple variety, like mashed potatoes and green beans,” says Olivia.
Peyton normally makes a big play for protein. “He likes the turkey, and he loves a fabulous salad. He steers away from the carbs a bit, and he’s not big on desserts.” Her eldest son, Cooper, who was a star wide receiver until he suffered a career-ending medical diagnosis at 18, is a fan of her cornbread stuffing and gravy.
Her husband, Archie, meanwhile, won’t be stuffing himself like a Thanksgiving Day bird.
“He’s not going to overeat. He’s so fitness-conscious,” says Olivia. “He’ll dig into the turkey the most. He likes the dark meat, while everyone else wants the breasts.”
Olivia plans on indulging with a “bite of everything,” and finishing off the savory fare with homemade apple pie and bite-size pecan pies.
She admits she misses the old days when her three sons were kids and she didn’t have to travel to see them for the holiday.
“It was fun, and I loved being in the kitchen,” says Olivia, as she recalls cooking an annual turkey-day feast, complete with oyster cornbread stuffing, for her growing brood.
Each year, her three young sons would huddle in front of the television at their home in New Orleans to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, followed by a marathon of college and pro pigskin.
“Peyton and Cooper would end up outside playing some game,” remembers Olivia in her soft-spoken Southern drawl. “They used to fight all of the time, and they needed a full-time referee.” Nowadays her dinners are interrupted by the NFL’s grueling practice and game schedules, to which her superstar sons, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton, 34, and Eli, 29, are beholden.
“Now our traditions are different every year. It revolves around football, so we make it a point to be with at least one of our children,” says Olivia, who has partnered with air-freshener Febreze to become its spokesperson.
This Thursday’s feast will be a more palate-pleasing affair than past dinners — like the one a few years ago when she and Archie traveled to Detroit to watch Peyton’s Colts take on the Lions.
“When Archie and I went to Peyton’s game in Detroit, we were laughing. It was a 1 o’clock game, and we were having a hot dog on Thanksgiving,” says Olivia.
No doubt she’ll be happy to see Eli, after both he and Peyton suffered devastating losses Sunday.
“I have a heavy heart today. It hasn’t happened too many times where they both lost on the same day.
Archie and I appreciate those Sundays when they both win.”
The proud parents only travel to home games, and watch their sons’ away games on a Panasonic TV in their New Orleans living room — sometimes both of them simultaneously.
“If they play at the same time, we have a split screen, so we watch both games. It’s a little confusing, but it’s worth it,” she says.
“Like any mom, you don’t want your child to be disappointed, but the injuries are so scary now. My prayers aren’t for a win, but for everyone to be healthy.”
With Super Bowl rings on both Eli and Peyton’s fingers, wins are common for the Manning clan.
That’s something for which Olivia is definitely thankful.
But she still looks forward to the future, when the rigorous football schedules slow down and the whole Manning family can resume its pre-NFL traditions — with the addition of a new grandchild, courtesy of Abby and Eli, due in the spring.
“Yes, I am very excited,” gushes Olivia, who has three other grandkids from son Cooper.
“We had wonderful holidays with them growing up, and we’ll get back to those traditions in a few years,” she says.