Revisit a time when Peyton Manning wasn't so mature

Peyton Manning turned 39 on Tuesday. Celebrate his birthday with a look back at Lee Jenkins's 2013 profile of the Denver Broncos quarterback.

Peyton Manning turned 39 on Tuesday, but he wasn't always so mature. Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins profiled Manning in 2013 and found that the quarterback wasn't always as stoic as he is now. 

Sportsmanship wasn't always his specialty. When Manning was five and his coach pitch team lost every game by about 20 runs, the coach would invariably tell the boys it was a tie. "He thinks we're stupid," Manning griped to his parents. "It was not a tie." When he was eight and Archie coached his youth basketball team, they sparred because Archie drafted his friends' sons even though many of them couldn't shoot. Archie vowed never to coach him again. When Peyton was 12 he had a new basketball coach with a curious substitution pattern. After one loss, the coach told the team, "The reason we didn't win the game is because you weren't ready to play." Manning pointed a finger in his face. "No," he protested, "the reason we didn't win the game is because you don't know what you're doing." Archie drove him to the coach's house that night, in tears, to apologize.

Contrast that image with the scene in the visiting locker room at Sports Authority Field after the Broncos' 38-35 playoff loss to the Ravens in double overtime. Manning, coping with another round of January heartbreak, waited to congratulate retiring linebacker Ray Lewis. He held little Marshall's hand, setting the example that his dad set for him.

Even from an early age, it was clear Manning wanted to be the one calling the shots.  

Rare Photos of Peyton Manning

1981

Lane Stewart for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning (right), Cooper and baby Eli sit for a family portrait with mom Olivia and dad Archie.

1981

Lane Stewart for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning takes some cuts against his brother, Cooper, as father Archie plays catch.

1996

Bill Frakes for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning strikes a relaxed pose during a 1996 photo shoot. A printout of his dad Archie's 1970 SI cover is in the background.

1996

Patrick Murphy-Racey for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning sits on a porch swing with his mom Olivia at their home in New Orleans.

1996

Patrick Murphy-Racey for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning and mom Olivia sort through stuff in his bedroom at their home in New Orleans.

1996

Bill Frakes for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning carries his brothers Cooper and Eli on his back.

1996

AP

Peyton Manning gives some tips to backup quarterback Tee Martin during his Tennessee days.

1997

Bill Frakes for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning talks with father Archie, himself a longtime NFL quarterback, immediately before announcing his decision to stay for his senior year at Tennessee. Manning was projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft.

1997

Bill Frakes for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning lifts weights during his workout after announcing his decision to stay his senior year at Tennessee.

1997

Bill Frakes for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning his neck stretched by a trainer at Tennessee.

1997

Bill Frakes for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning poses underneath a billboard thanking him for returning to Tennessee for his senior year and forgoing the NFL Draft.

1997

Patrick Murphy-Racey for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning receives his diploma at Tennessee's commencement ceremony. Manning was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society while at Tennessee.

1998

AP

(Left to right) Charles Woodson, Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning toss a ball around prior to the 1998 NFL draft. Manning, who controversially lost out on the 1997 Heisman Trophy to Woodson, was the first selection of the draft, with Leaf going second to the Chargers.

1999

Al Tielemans for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning studies a Colts playbook at his apartment in Indianapolis.

1999

Al Tielemans for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning autographs trading cards at his apartment in Indianapolis.

1999

Theo Westenberger for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning helps Edgerrin James' mother Julie fit the Colts running back for a suit.

2000

AP

Peyton Manning gives passing instructions during a Pro Bowl Special Olympics Event. Manning has been named to 13 Pro Bowls during his career.

2001

Bill Frakes for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning pays little brother Eli a visit at Ole' Miss.

2003

AP

Peyton Manning and Yao Ming compare hand sizes during a Gatorade commercial shoot.

2004

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Peyton Manning and Tom Brady shake hands after New England's 24-14 victory over the Colts in the AFC Championship.

2005

Patrick Murphy-Racey for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning takes in a Tennessee Lady Vols basketball game. Manning was 39-6 in his four years at Tennessee.

2006

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Peyton Manning holds the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year trophy alongside Connie Payton at a press conference.

2006

AP

Peyton Manning spends some time with Broncos legend John Elway before the 2006 Pro Bowl skills challenge.

2006

John Biever for Sports Illustrated

The Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison connection was the most prolific in NFL history, with the pair holding a number of QB/WR records, including the most career completions/receptions, passing/receiving yards and passing/receiving touchdowns.

2007

Michael Conroy/AP

Peyton Manning chats with Colts owner Jim Irsay during Media Day prior to Super Bowl XLI. Manning was the MVP of the game, leading the Colts to a decisive victory over the Bears. Manning turned the downtrodden Colts into a perennial Super Bowl contender during his days in Indy, leading the team to eight division championships and three AFC championship games.

2007

AP

Peyton Manning sports a fake moustache in a Sprint commercial, one of many television spots he's been in over the years.

2007

Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

While hosting Saturday Night Live, Peyton Manning plays an employee from the Bronx Zoo appearing on the talk show "Bronx Beat," alongside Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph.

2007

Tom Strickland/AP

Peyton Manning laughs with wide receivers Reggie Wayne (left) and Marvin Harrison during Colts training camp. Harrison and Wayne were Manning's two favorite targets in Indianapolis.

2007

Bob Rosato for Sports Illustrated

Peyton and Archie Manning hug in the moments after the Colts dramatic comeback victory over the rival New England Patriots in the 2007 AFC Championship Game.

2009

Michael Conroy/AP

Two guys who eat their Wheaties every morning: Peyton Manning and basketball star Kevin Garnett check out a promotional video at an event in Indianapolis.

2009

Chuck Burton/AP

Peyton Manning shares a laugh with Tiger Woods during the pro-am of the Quail Hollow Championship golf tournament in Charlotte, N.C.

2010

Paul Drinkwater/NBC via Getty Images

Eli and Peyton Manning film a commercial for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Though Peyton's stats are undeniably better, Eli has one more Super Bowl championship than his older brother.

2010

John Biever for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning stretches before a Colts-Packers preseason game in Green Bay.

2010

John Biever for Sports Illustrated

Eli and Peyton Manning shake hands before a Colts-Giants game in Indianapolis.

2012

AJ Mast/AP Images for Papa John's

Jerome Bettis and Peyton Manning eat some Papa John's pizza alongside Founder, Chairman and CEO John Schnatter during a commercial shoot at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

2012

Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for DirecTV

Peyton Manning handles the coin toss for DIRECTV's Sixth Annual Celebrity Beach Bowl Game at Victory Field in Indianapolis. (Left to right) Warren Moon, Archie Manning, DIRECTV CEO Michael White, and Joe Montana look on.

2012

Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Peyton Manning's scar from neck surgery is visible as he signs autographs during the first day of Broncos training camp.

2014

Eric Lars Bakke for Sports Illustrated

Peyton Manning gets a laugh out of Broncos head coach John Fox prior to Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

2015

Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Eli and Peyton Manning smile alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas during the SNL 40th Anniversary Special's Audience Q&A in New York City.

Scott Brinegar/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images

Peyton Manning with his children at Disneyland Park in Anaheim after winning Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers.