The Indianapolis Colts announced on Thursday that the planned statute of legendary franchise quarterback Peyton Manning is expected to be completed by 2017, with local sculptor and fireman Ryan Feeney performing the sculpting:
Peyton Manning statue to be completed by local sculptor & fireman Ryan Feeney in 2017.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) July 14, 2016
“I am excited to see this project begin.” -@JimIrsay
In his team’s “thank you” press conference held on March 18th, team owner Jim Irsay recently announced plans of the franchise constructing a statue of Manning outside the friendly confines of Lucas Oil Stadium:
"Mar 18, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay retires the number of quarterback Peyton Manning during a press conference at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports“First of all, we are going to begin construction of a statute outside of Lucas Oil Stadium that will feature Peyton, which will be up there for a very long time. Will be a destination spot for all of our fans,” said Irsay.“Just like Jim Morrison’s grave, even though it’s not a grave, Peyton, it will be a destination for people to leave cans of Budweiser or notes for you, so we’ll collect those and get them to you as years pass,” jokingly added Irsay at the press conference."
However, it looks like the project has evolved from simply preliminary plans to actually some concrete details now.
Of course, Manning is a Colts all-time great who really needs no introduction.
Originally the 1st overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Colts, Manning played 14 magical seasons in Indianapolis, amassing 54,828 passing yards, 4,682 completions, and 399 passing touchdowns.
Manning became a 4x MVP, 11x Pro Bowler, and 5x First-Team All-Pro while wearing horseshoe blue, en route to becoming one of the NFL’s all-time greatest quarterbacks.
The Colts were consistently an NFL juggernaut with Manning under center–highlighted by a 2006 Super Bowl Championship and having made the playoffs in 11 of his 13 active seasons.
When he heard the news of a lifelike statute being built in his honor, Manning said he was incredibly thankful and humbled by his former franchise’s classy gesture:
"“Thank you so much, Jim,” opened Manning. “I can’t tell you how honored and humbled I am by that two pieces of news. I really don’t know what to say. It’s just a…it was my honor and privilege to play for this organization for 14 years. This is the team I wanted to play for. I was glad that you all drafted me, and I’ll always be a Colt. So I can’t tell you how special this news is to me.”"