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Executive Staff
Archie Manning - Executive Director
Leadership, dedication and commitment have enabled Archie Manning to succeed both on and off of the football field
Arche oversees every aspect of the Manning Passing Academy and makes all of the audibles when it comes to teaching and coaching.
Manning's background is truly reflective of the ideals and dedication necessary to compete on the football field.
At Ole Miss, where he is considered one of the greatest players ever to wear a Rebel uniform, he was the recipient of the Walter Camp Award and was selected to the All-American, All-SEC, and All-South teams. Manning also was a recipient of the Davey O'Brien Legends Award which recognizes a QB who "has made significant contributions to football, distinguished himself as an extraordinary leader, and demonstrated exemplary conduct and reputation on and off the field."
As a professional, Manning was the 2nd player selected overall in the 1971 NFL draft. He went on to a brilliant 14 year career that included stints with the New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers, and Minnesota Vikings. As the New Orleans Saints' field general, Archie was named league MVP in 1978 and was twice selected to the Pro Bowl.
A community leader, he has supported numerous non-profits and charities over the years in both Louisiana and Mississippi, while continuing to assist those who share his love for the game of football.
Archie is a member of the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, and serves as an active member of the Allstate Sugar Bowl championship committee.
A portion of the Manning Passing Academy proceeds is donated to Special Olympics Lousiana and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
For almost four decades, the Manning family and the quarterback position have been practically synonymous with one another. As such, their summer vacations always revolve around the annual Manning Passing Academy, a family-owned and managed football camp that embraces the basic fundamentals of football while catering to the offensive skill positions of RB, TE, WR, and of course QB.
Archie and his wife Olivia (a former homecoming queen at Ole Miss) currently reside in New Orleans, LA.
Visit www.archie-manning.com
Cooper Manning - Senior Associate Director
Cooper (The Duke) was a two-time all-state football player at Newman high school and played in the Louisiana High School All-Star Game as well as participating on two state championship basketball teams.
Coop was heavily recruited by Division I schools out of high school including Texas, Virginia, and Ole Miss before deciding to attend his father's alma mater (Ole Miss) on a football scholarship.
A career-ending injury forced the Rebel wide receiver to the sidelines, but his love for the game has never diminished.
Coop's experience in high school, college, and professional sports has made him a natural fit for the broadcast booth and he has hosted and co-hosted (with Archie) numerous projects over the years, including the APrep Zone Show which aired on Saturdays during football season on WWL-TV in New Orleans.
One of the most popular staff members among the campers, Coop is never too busy to lend instruction or a helping hand. He is always the first to arrive at camp and the last to leave. He is also well known for his ability to make everyone at camp laugh uncontrolably.
Cooper currently runs his own financial business in New Orleans. He and his wife Ellen are the proud parents of a six-year-old daughter May, and two sons, Arch (5) and Heid (3).
Peyton Manning - Senior Associate Director
Peyton is widely regarded as one of the best QBs to ever play the game. The Super Bowl XLI MVP started all 16 games for the 11th consecutive season in 2008 and earned his ninth career Pro Bowl selection.
Manning holds NFL records for consecutive seasons with over 4,000 yards passing and the most total seasons with 4,000 or more yards passing in a career.
Peyton was selected as the first overall selection in the 1998 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. In his rookie season, he set five different NFL rookie records, including the most touchdowns in a season and was named to the NFL All-Rookie First Team. He has already ascended to 2nd on the list for highest career passing rating and the all-time career passing yards and passing touchdowns leader for the Colts franchise and continues to re-write both the AFC and NFL records books.
As a collegian at the University of Tennessee, he was a four-year starter and saw action in all 48 games, including 45 starts. He set 33 school records, 8 SEC records, and 2 NCAA records. Manning ended his career with an SEC record for wins as a starting QB (39-6), completions (863), passing yards (11,201), total offense (11,020), completion percentage (62.5%) and ranks 3rd in NCAA history in passing yards and total offense. He also graduated cum laude in 3 years (3.61 GPA) with a degree in Speech Communication.
In addition to amassing a 26-4 record in conference games, Peyton was a three-time Academic All-America honoree. His senior year, he set an SEC single-season record for total offense (3,789) while setting school marks for completions (287), attempts (477), passing yards (3,819) and touchdowns (36). Leading his team to an 11-2 record, Manning was also named the MVP of the SEC Championship game in addition to: winning the Sullivan Award for the nation's top amateur athlete, winning the Maxwell Award for College Football Player-of-the-Year, was the Heisman Trophy runner-up, being named the Football News' National Offensive Player-of-the-Year, winning Davey O'Brien Award for the top QB, winning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award for the top senior, being named to the GTE Academic All-America 1st Team, and being named All-Academic All-SEC.
During his junior season, Peyton was named the MVP of the Citrus Bowl finishing 10-2 while joining the Academic All-SEC team.
His sophomore year, he started 12 games and led the team to an 11-1 record while finishing with 2,954 on 244/380 with 22 TDs against just 4 INTs while also adding 5 rushing TDs.
As a freshman, Manning saw action in all 11 games while starting the final 8 and posting a 7-1 record in those games. He was 12/19 for 189yds and 1 TD in a 45-23 Gator Bowl victory of Virginia Tech. That year, he was named the SEC Freshman-of-the Year.
Peyton was born in New Orleans, LA, and attended Newman High School. He finished his career with a 34-5 record as a three-year starter.
Peyton formed the PeyBack foundaton in 1999 which has donated more than $1,500,000 to community agencies in IN, TN, and LA. In 2001, 2004, and 2005, Manning was named the Walter Payton / Indianapolis Colts NFL Man-of-the-Year for his participation in community affairs. His teammates have nominated him for the Byron "Whizzer" White Humanitarian Award for 3 of the last 4 years. Peyton took home the honor in 2005, joining his father Archie (1978) as a winner of the prestegious award.
Peyton and his wife Ashley reside in Indianapolis, IN.
Visit www.peytonmanning.com
Eli Manning - Senior Associate Director
In 2008, his 5th year in the NFL, Eli started all 16 regular season games which culminated his first Pro Bowl berth. In the 2007 season, Eli earned a Super Bowl XLII victory while collecting the MVP trophy.
Eli was drafted with the overall first selection of the 2004 NFL draft by the New York Giants. For the first half of his rookie season, Eli was tutored by veteran Kurt Warner. Midway through the 2004 campaign, Eli took the reins and finished the year with 3 solid games, setting the stage for the 2005 season.
Eli's second season was largely a success. Manning finished in the top 5 in the NFL in both passing yards and TD passes, while leading a Giants offense that ranked 3rd in the NFL in scoring with 422 points.
The '06 season was marred by injuries to key personnel and the G-Men were derailed; but, in 2007, Eli and the Giants were resurrected and despite suffering a shoulder injury in the season opener, he gutted it out and led the Giants to a 10-6 regular season record which itself led to a Wild Card playoff berth, and the rest, as they say, is history.
At Ole Miss, Eli set or tied 45 single-game, season, and career records. His career numbers include 10,119 passing yards (5th all time in the SEC), 81 TD passes (3rd all time in the SEC) and a career passing rating of 137.7 (6th on the SEC career list). In 2003, Eli led the Rebels to a 10-3 record and a 31-28 SBC Cotton Bowl victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Awards taken home by Manning include: the Maxwell Award, given to the nation's top collegiate player, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the nation's top senior quarterback, the Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year Award, the Conerly Trophy, given to the top college player in the state of Mississippi, and SEC Offensive Player of the Year. He was also named to the 1st team All-America from Southern Football Weekly, 1st team All-SEC, 2nd team All-America from The Sporting News, Honorable Mention All-America by Sports Illustrated, and finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
Eli, and his brother Peyton organized and participated in airlifts of emergency supplies to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and also made financial contributions to Habitat for Humanity International's Katrina Relief Fund.
Eli was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. While attending Newman High School, he was named an All-American, All-State, and All-District choice at QB.
Eli and his wife Abby reside in New Jersey.
Buddy Teevens - Associate Director
Buddy has been an integral part of the MPA since its inception. He is the head football coach at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Teevens started his coaching career at DePauw University (`79) and went on to become offensive coordinator at Boston University (1980-84). Buddy first became a head coach at the University of Maine (`85) where he led the Black Bears to a 6-5 and 7-4 marks in successive seasons, the program’s first back-to-back winning seasons in 21 years. His first stint at Dartmouth College (his alma mater) was from 1987-91. As head coach he won two Ivy League Championships (he also won one as a player) before moving on to Tulane University in `92. From 1992-96, Teevens rebuilt the Green Wave program and recruited most of the team that went 12-0 in 1998. Teevens served as offensive coordinator and receivers coach at Illinois from 1997-98, and passing game coordinator at Florida from 1999-2001. Buddy was head coach at Stanford University from 2002-2004 before returning to his roots at Dartmouth College. At the Manning Passing Academy, coach Teevens oversees all aspects of the on-field operation and coaching staff. A native of Pembroke, Mass. Teevens and his wife Kirsten, reside in Hanover, New Hampshire, have two children, Lindsay, a student at the University of Florida, and Eugene IV, a student at the Salisbury School in Connecticut.
Jeff "Hawk" Hawkins - Associate Director
Hawk is entering his 14th year as Associate Camp Director. He is responsible for all aspects of administration including operations and marketing and promotions. He is in his 9th season as director of football operations at the University of Oregon. Hawkins spent three years in the U.S. Army after high school. He earned his undergraduate degree at Bridgewater State College (`80), where he started all four years on the defensive line and was named co-captain in his senior year. After graduation he spent five years with the New England Patriots in the team’s marketing & promotions division. He broke into the coaching ranks at Chico State (1985-86) before joining Buddy Teevens at Dartmouth College as his DFO in 1987 and followed him to Tulane University (1992-96). After his stint with the Green Wave, he served as director of special projects with the Nokia Sugar Bowl (1996-01) and regularly worked game-day assignments with Tulane University and the New Orleans Saints. He also served a four year term as vice president of Special Olympics Louisiana, a charity that he personally has invested more than twenty years in as a volunteer. Jeff, a native of Pembroke, Mass., and his wife Amy reside in Eugene, Oregon with their daughter Gabrielle (age 5).
University of Oregon Athletics
Kyle Wiest - Director of Camp Administration
Kyle, is entering his 9th year at the MPA and serves as the assistant associate camp director, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the camp. His responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of administration and information technology. Wiest, a recent Masters recipient from the University of Oregon is the Assistant Director of Football Operations at the University of Oregon and resides in Eugene.
Tom Hart - Director of Camp Security
Officer Tom Hart oversees all aspects of the Academy's security both for coaches as well as for campers. He is a retired Portsmouth police detective and SWAT Team Officer from the state of New Hampshire. Officer Hart has accrued almost 27 years of law enforcement experience and has served as a Police Academy Instructor, Anti-Terrorism Instructor, Crime Prevention Officer, and Special Inverstigator to the Violent Crimes Unit. Tom graduated from Bridgewater State College (Bridgewater, MA) with a degree in physical education. He was a four-year starter and letterman on the defensive line (DT & DE) for the BSC Bears. As a teen, Tom was an accomplished Golden Gloves boxer in his hometown of Holyoke, MA. Hart and his wife Lori reside in Madbury, NH with their two daughters; Caitlin (18), and Bridget (19), both are accomplished student-athletes and aspire to play in college.
Greg Blackwell - Director of Public Relations
Greg will be entering his 11th year with the camp and his 10th year in the role of Director of Public Relations. He is currently the Assistant Director of the Frog Club and Lettermen's Association at TCU, after serving as the Director of Communications for the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, LA from 1998 -2008. A native of Burbank, CA, Greg served in the armed forces after high school as a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division before moving on to college where he earned a bachelor's degree in Communications from Memphis State University (now University of Memphis). He and his wife Lydia reside in Fort Worth, Texas with their son Christian (2).
Andy Solari - Director of Merchandising
Andy is entering his 9th year at the MPA and has served in virtually every capacity. Currently he oversees the various residence halls, meal services, and roll calls prior to each practice session. He is a Telecommunications Specialist for the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission where he plays an integral part in the design and maintenance of the largest single user telephone network in Massachusetts. Andy received his technical training at Boston University and Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Solari served in the US Coast Guard and is a native of Pembroke, MA. He currently resides in Marshfield, MA with his wife Beth, a registered nurse, and his three children: Jessica, Emily, and Tony.
Ed Nishioka - Director of Marketing
Ed is entering in his 4th year with the Manning Passing Academy. He handles local marketing and video production for the camp.
His company, Nishioka Media LLC, has handled media, marketing and PR for the NFL Pro Bowl for the past 14 years. He has an extensive sports background working with the United States Olympic Committee in Track and Field, Pete Newell Big Man Camp, World Championship Kickboxing, Hawaiian Super Prix CART Race, Basketball Camps and as a TV News Sports Reporter at KHSL. He is currently serves as the Chief Public Information Officer for the Honolulu Rail Transit project. In his spare time he is the owner and promoter of Smooth Jazz Nights that has featured to date Bobby Caldwell, Deniece Williams, Ray Parker, Jr., Peter White, Gregg Karukas, Freddie Washington and Michael Paulo. He is working on an International Smooth Jazz Festival at Ko Olina on the island of Oahu.
He holds Masters Degrees (M.A.) in Instructional Technology and Information and Communication Studies from California State University at Chico and Bachelor Degree (B.S.) from Southern Oregon University in Journalism and Marketing. He competed in the decathlon and javelin while at Southern Oregon and worked on football staff at Chico State under Head Coach Mike Bellotti. He served as Assistant Athletic Director and Head Cross Country Coach while at Chaminade University in Honolulu.
He and wife, Rae, reside in Honolulu with their two Boxers (Mr. Lex and Princess) and English Bulldog (Lady). Ed's daughter, Sarah, is a freshman at University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Don Briffett - Director of Events
Don is entering his 11th year at the MPA, this is his second year as events coordinator. During his time at the MPA , Don has provided support and assistance in all operational capacities.
Don works in the greater Boston area where he has been an Executive in the technology consulting industry for 20 plus years. Servicing Major Corporations such as: Fidelity Investments, EMC, Fujitsu, State Street Bank, BC/BS of MA.
From an athletic family, Don (playing LB/FB) captained his High School Football Team to their first League Championship. Son Tyler is a freshmen Linebacker at the University of Oregon, Daughter Stephanie (soccer, 2 year letterman), Daughter Cassandra (hockey, 4 year letterman), Son Adam(football, lacrosse) are competitive athletes in their respective sports.
Don is also active in youth sports in Massachusetts, where he has coached youth football at all levels and positions for 15 plus years. He dedicates many hours of his time to the athletic development of children and young adults.
He attended Northeastern University for his Computer Science undergraduate work and management certifications , He is also a graduate of the Entrepreneurial Management Program at Babson College and the entrepreneurial executive leadership program at the MIT Enterprise Forum.
Don, a native of Pembroke, MA resides in Marshfield, MA with his wife Lois and their five Children: Robert(27),Stephanie(22), Tyler(19) ,Cassandra(16)and Adam(10).
Jim Marinelli - Director of Housing
For more information email info@manningpassingacademy.com
