CANTON, Ohio — It's official. Two Indianapolis Colts greats are now Hall of Famers.
Peyton Manning and Edgerrin James received their gold jackets from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a ceremony Friday night.
With NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Hall of Fame President David Baker on stage, Manning's father, Archie, slipped the iconic jacket onto his son's arms. The elder Manning will present his son at Sunday's Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio.
"(He) never was my coach, but always was my mentor. I can only think of about two or three games that he missed since I was in high school or college and in the NFL," Manning said. "Just a no-brainer as far as picking him to present me and just couldn't have a more appropriate person to do that."
James received his jacket from Colts owner Jim Irsay, who will speak at the former running back's enshrinement on Saturday. He is a member of the Hall of Fame's Class of 2020, which had its ceremony postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Irsay's always taken care of me. Irsay's always been like super cool from Day 1," James said last month. "The relationship we built over the years, I have so much respect for Mr. Irsay and the organization. I thought it would only be right."
James is the Colts franchise leader in rushing yards (9,226 yards) and touchdowns (64), dating back to the team's first season in Baltimore in 1953. His yards per game average of 96.1 is 11 yards more than fellow Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson, who played four years in Indianapolis toward the end of his career.
Manning was selected for enshrinement in his first year of eligibility. He threw for nearly 72,000 yards and 539 touchdowns in his career, which included a pair of Super Bowl wins. He brought the Lombardi Trophy to Indianapolis with a win in Super Bowl XLI in 2007, then closed his career by winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016 for the Denver Broncos.
The family affair in Canton didn't stop on stage for the Mannings. The NFL tweeted video of Peyton's son, Marshall, collecting autographs from other Hall of Famers.
The enshrinement ceremonies this weekend will be aired on the NFL Network.