Cooper Manning, father of Texas football star Arch Manning, knows what it takes to excel on and off the field. From his vast experience in the world of business and entrepreneurship to Arch’s stardom and the Super Bowl pedigree of younger brothers Peyton and Eli, Cooper has plenty of expertise on performing at the highest level in all avenues of life.
Cooper has partnered with Capital One to promote the Capital One Venture X Business card and to offer valuable insight and coaching for aspiring business owners and athletes alike. He recently spoke with The Sporting News about his partnership, addressing the values that connect the business world to the sports world and how Arch has benefitted from them.
“I’ve partnered with Venture X Business and Capital One, and it just makes me, as a business person, worry about business,” Cooper said. “I don’t have to worry about the logistics, the behind-the-scenes stuff. If I need hotels, flights, cars, lounge access – whatever I need – it takes care of that … I want to worry about the job at hand, so that is why this partnership has been important to me.”
“I think there’s a big correlation between athletics and business. You’re gonna have some things go wrong even when it’s not your fault, and then sometimes it’s going to be your fault. How you respond is really a testament to what this athlete or this business is gonna like. You’re gonna have a lot more headwinds than wind behind you … I think Arch went through a tough time. He struggled a little bit early, and he got better as the year went on. I was proud of him for that.”
Arch began last season as one of the most hyped prospects in college football, but he fell short of expectations early on with five interceptions in his first five games that culminated in a Week 5 loss to a lowly Florida team. However, the talented signal-caller bounced back and finished the season strong, leading the Longhorns offense to 120 total points across their last three outings.
In Texas’ bowl game against Michigan, Arch put together one of the best individual performances in CFB history with 155 rushing yards, 221 passing yards, and four total touchdowns en route to a 41-27 victory.
Cooper has instilled a high level of resilience in his son stemming from disciplined values that also apply to the business world.
“You’ve got to surround him (a talented athlete) with people that are more talented than him, that are older, that are bigger,” Cooper explained. “Surrounding yourself with people that are smarter than you and are better at what you’re doing only makes you better.”
Cooper also revealed the most important piece of what sets Arch and other world-class athletes apart from their peers.
“I think they have to absolutely love it. Literally dream about it, eat about it, think about it. If you’re doing this for anything other than what is inside of you, it is going to be a challenge … If you don’t absolutely love it, you’re not going to last very long.”
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