Who

Previously consigned to the shadow of his older brother, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Eli became a hometown hero after leading the Giants to a stunning triumph over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Backstory

The son of former NFL quarterback Archie and younger brother of Peyton, pigskin scion Eli attended his father's alma mater Ole Miss and was the top overall pick in the 2004 draft. His career in New York started off with the sort of threat only an athlete could appreciate: When the San Diego Chargers drafted him, he insinuated that he would go to law school rather than play for the team, leading San Diego to arrange a quick trade with the Giants. (Rumor had it that his management team was eager to maximize his endorsement potential by bringing him to New York.) Despite occasional flashes of brilliance, for the first few years Eli failed to live up to his pedigree or to his six-year, $54 million contract, proving unable to escort the Giants to a single playoff game victory. To make matters worse, his older brother won a Super Bowl in January 2007 and Philip Rivers, the player the Giants sent to San Diego for Eli, blossomed into a well-respected quarterback.

But in the 2007-8 season Eli finally demonstrated that the early hype surrounding him was merited, carrying the Giants to a respectable 10-6 regular season, and, of course, an instantly classic 17-14 victory over the Patriots at Super Bowl XLII.

The look

Manning sports a famously blank expression on the Giants' bench when he's not in the game, leading to constant speculation about what might (or might not) be going on in his head.

Personal

After spending a few years enjoying his bachelor existence—famously he was on the receiving end of a Paris Hilton lap dance at Butter in 2006—he proposed to his college sweetheart Abby McGrew in March 2007 and they married in April 2008 in Los Cabos. The couple live in the Hudson Tea Building in Hoboken. Jon Corzine lives in the building and Alex Rodriguez picked up two units as an investment.

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