Football | 10/16/2015 11:30:00 AM
ABILENE – Abilene Christian University announced Friday morning that it has officially retired the jersey number of former Wildcat standout defensive back Danieal Manning.
Manning wore No. 11 for the Wildcats from 2003-05, earning multiple NCAA Division II all-America honors and becoming one of the most electric players to ever wear the Purple
and White. ACU director of athletics Lee De León made the announcement and presented Manning with a replica of his jersey Friday morning at ACU Chapel where Manning was the guest speaker.
"I've always been impressed with Danieal Manning as a player, but I'm infinitely more impressed with him as a man and as a father," ACU head coach
Ken Collums said. "He's one best people you'll ever meet. He has the ability to sit down and talk with someone and make them feel like they're the most important person in the room, and that's rare.
"Now, on the field he was a 'freak,' " Collums said. "He could do things I've never seen from anyone I've coached or been around. He's truly deserving of having his number retired."
Manning's jersey number becomes the fourth number in the history of ACU football to be retired, joining the No. 10 worn by quarterback Jim Lindsey (1967-70), the No. 28 worn by running back Wilbert Montgomery (1973-76) and the No. 44 worn by wide receiver Johnny Perkins (1974-76).
Manning's No. 11 has been semi-retired since he left ACU early for the NFL Draft in 2006. ACU has never even ordered a No. 11 in any of its jersey combinations since he left after the 2005 season, making it unavailable for any other player to wear.
The only other number retired in ACU athletics history is the No. 25 worn by women's basketball great and ACU Sports Hall of Famer Jennifer (Clarkson) Frazier, who played at ACU from 1992-96.
Manning is being inducted into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies Friday night at the Hunter Welcome Center. He put together one of the great careers in ACU football history and is on the short list for consideration as the program's greatest player. Manning was a three-year starter at ACU (2003-05) and became the second-highest draftee in school history (42nd pick by the Chicago Bears in 2006). Manning started all 30 games while at ACU and finished his career with 159 tackles, two sacks, 11 interceptions, 12 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and four blocked kicks.
Manning earned 12 NCAA Division II all-America citations during his career and was a three-time first team all-region and all-Lone Star Conference selection. In August 2005 he was the only then-active ACU player named to the university's all-Century Team. In his rookie season with the Bears (2006), Manning started 17 of the Bears' 19 games as they won the NFC championship before falling to Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLI, 29-17. After 56 starts with the Bears, Manning signed with the Houston Texas and started 40 games with the Texans after signing a free agent contract in July 2011. He appeared in all 16 games for the Texans in 2014, but announced his retirement in the spring of 2015 after nine seasons in the NFL. While in Houston, Manning helped the Texans win their first AFC South title (2012), post three winning records, make two playoff trips, and win the first two playoff games in franchise history.
He finished his career by playing in 106 games (85 starts) and recorded 486 tackles (397 solo stops), 11 interceptions, nine forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and two blocked field goals. He was also an excellent kick returner with a career average of 26.8 yards per return on 115 attempts, which is the fourth-highest kickoff return average since entering the league in 2006. In 2008, Manning was a first-team All-Pro thanks to his efforts on special teams. He led the NFL in kickoff return average with 29.7 yards on 36 attempts.
