Danieal LaCraig Manning (born August 9, 1982) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Abilene Christian Wildcats Abilene Christian Wildcats (variously ACU or ACU Wildcats) refers to the sports teams of Abilene Christian University located in Abilene, Texas. The Wildcats joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) on July 1, 2021, after having spent the pre ...

and was selected by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

in the second round of the

2006 NFL draft The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...

Early life

Before college, he was a highly touted

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

at Corsicana High School in

Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in and the county seat of Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 50 miles southeast of Dallas, Texas, Dallas. Its population was 25,109 at the 2020 census. Corsicana is considered an important ...

. A three-year starter, as a senior he totaled 67 tackles, three interceptions and three blocked kicks and was named second-team all-state by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

and the Texas Sports Writers Association. He also starred in track, finishing second in the state in Class 4A in both the 100-meter dash and triple jump

College career

Manning originally signed with the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the M ...

, but he never enrolled there, choosing to attend

Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Christian research university in Abilene, Texas, United States. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 (High Research Spending and Doctorate Production) institutio ...

. For the

Abilene Christian Wildcats football The Abilene Christian Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Abilene Christian University located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team was a member of the Southland Conference through the 2020–21 season ...

, as a sophomore he was named Division II third-team All-American at defensive back, as a junior first-team All-American as a return specialist, and as a senior first-team All-American as a defensive back.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Manning was ranked as the ninth best safety available in the

by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

''.

Chicago Bears

The

selected Manning in the second round (42nd overall) of the

. He was the highest selection from

since Johnny Perkins in

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

) and was also the first player from a non- Division I in 2006. Midway through the 2008 NFL season, Manning took over

Devin Hester Devin Devorris Hester Sr. (born November 4, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). The only primary return specialist to be enshrined in the ...

's duties as the Bears' kick returner. On December 11, 2008, he returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown, making it the first regular season opening kickoff returned for a touchdown for the Bears since 1972. A week before this touchdown, Manning picked off

David Garrard David Douglas Garrard (born February 14, 1978) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the East Carolina Pirates and was selected b ...

's pass on the Jaguars opening drive, and returned it to the Jaguars five-yard line. Manning led the league in return average and number of 30+-yard returns, despite only starting half the season. Manning was Bears starting

nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta, Hanna, Alberta. Throughout its history, it has consisted of lead guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan ...

in 2008, and competed with Josh Bullocks, Corey Graham,

Kevin Payne Kevin Payne may refer to: *Kevin Payne (American football) (born 1983), American football player *Kevin Payne (soccer) (1953–2022), American soccer executive *Kevin Payne (politician), American politician, member of the Arizona House of Represent ...

, and Craig Steltz for starting

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

. Manning won the starting position before the start of the Bears 2009 summer training camp. On passing downs, Manning played nickelback, while Steltz filled in for him at free safety. Due to Manning's larger role on defense, the Bears chose second-year wide receiver Johnny Knox to take over kick-returning duties.

Houston Texans (first stint)

Manning signed a four-year, $20 million contract (with $9 million guaranteed) with the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

on July 28, 2011. In week 4 of the 2012 season, Manning intercepted

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

quarterback

Matt Hasselbeck Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football for t ...

and returned it 55 yards for the first defensive touchdown of his career. On March 31, 2014, Manning was released by the Texans.

Cincinnati Bengals

On April 3, 2014, Manning signed a one-year deal with the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

Houston Texans (second stint)

On September 1, 2014, Manning signed with the Texans. Manning announced his retirement from the NFL on July 14, 2015.

Coaching career

On December 18, 2018, Manning announced he would be returning to his alma mater Abilene Christian as an assistant coach on Adam Dorrel's staff.

NFL statistics

Key * GP: games played * COMB: combined tackles * TOTAL: total tackles * AST: assisted tackles * SACK: sacks * FF: forced fumbles * FR: fumble recoveries * FR YDS: fumble return yards * INT: interceptions * IR YDS: interception return yards * AVG IR: average interception return * LNG: longest interception return * TD: interceptions returned for touchdown * PD: passes defensed

References

External links

*
Cincinnati Bengals bioHouston Texans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Danieal Living people 1982 births Abilene Christian Wildcats football coaches Abilene Christian Wildcats football players American football cornerbacks American football safeties Chicago Bears players Cincinnati Bengals players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Players of American football from Corsicana, Texas Players of American football from Abilene, Texas Coaches of American football from Texas