March 24 marks Peyton Manning's 42nd birthday.
So here are nine things Manning has accomplished that we probably won't accomplish in our entire lifetimes (statistically speaking, of course):
1. He graduated in three years
Manning has a Bachelors of Arts in Speech Communication from the University of Tennessee, which he finished in three years -- all while playing for the Volunteers. He didn't start until the first-string and second-string quarterbacks got injured during his freshman year, but after he started -- the Volunteers never looked back.
2. He's played in the NFL
Only about 3 to 4 percent of high school football players get the chance to play football in college. Statistically speaking, of the 100,000 high school seniors who play football every year, only 215 will ever make an NFL roster -- equating to about a 0.2 percent chance of ever making it to the NFL, much less succeeding once you're there. If you play college ball, the odds of going pro are little bit better -- hovering around 7 percent. Now Peyton Manning? He was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft in 1998 after playing for the University of Tennessee.
3. He's won two Super Bowls
Manning won Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts and Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos. He's the only quarterback to win the Super Bowl for two different franchises.
4. He's played in four Super Bowls
Sure, he lost two Super Bowls too, but even though he fell in Super Bowls XLIV and XLVIII -- he still made it to the games, which is hard enough to accomplish in an NFL career.
5. He's the father of twins
Manning and his wife Ashley have twins. Their daughter Mosley and their son Marshall are pretty adorable too. Most recently, Marshall stole the show during a press conference. Beyond them being cute, the odds of having fraternal twins is about 4 percent in America -- and that's including women who decide to use fertility treatments.
6. He's truly an MVP
He's been named the NFL Most Valuable Player five times -- which is a league record. That means we can probably go ahead and throw out that dusty and cobwebbed-ridden trophy we all got in middle school for our respective sports ...
7. He's on TV ... a lot
Peyton seems to be on TV all the time, between his Papa Johns commercials and singing during Nationwide spots. It's estimated that Manning makes at least $12 million a year in off-field earnings, which makes him the No. 1 off-field earner in the NFL -- even after his recent retirement. Manning is the face of Papa John's, Gatorade, DirecTV and now Nike after being with Reebok for an extended period of time.
8. He started a charity
Manning started a charity called "The Peyback Foundation" which helps disadvantaged kids in Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana and Tennessee. You can donate to the cause here: http://bit.ly/1ZwfUQg.
9. He has a hospital wing named after him
In 2007, Indianapolis' St. Vincent Hospital renamed its children's hospital to the "Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent" after he and his wife donate an undisclosed amount of money to the institution.
Of course, there are a trillion reasons Manning is pretty neat, but we wanted to celebrate The Sheriff as he turned the big 4-0.
