N E W S R E L E A S E
No. 1 Pick – PEYTON MANNING & 121st Pick –
ROOSEVELT BLACKMON in TWO ROADS TO GLORY, airing on ESPN Friday,
August 28– 9:30 pm (ET)
August 25, 1998 – NFL FILMS, with its exclusive access, follows the stories of two very different young men – Peyton Manning & Roosevelt Blackmon – who take two very different paths to the NFL in the NFL FILMS special TWO ROADS TO GLORY, which airs on ESPN Friday, August 28 at 9:30 p.m. (ET). The
one-hour NFL FILMS special proves it matters not what path you take, as long as it leads to the top.Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, is the 1st pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. Blackmon, cornerback for the Green Bay Packers, is the 121st pick. Manning is the son of Archie Manning, NFL star quarterback. Blackmon, nicknamed "Tadpole," is the son, Roosevelt, Sr., nicknamed "Frog." Manning is an icon in his home state of Tennessee. Blackmon had to work as his team’s equipment manager and as a Winn-Dixie stock boy to pay for tuition. Manning, one of the most heralded quarterbacks in collegiate history, has been "Everybody’s All-American" since his first college game at the University of Tennessee. Blackmon was a walk-on at Morris Brown College, a Division II school in Atlanta, Georgia.
TWO ROADS TO GLORY
takes a fascinating look into the period between the conclusion of Manning’s and Blackmon’s senior seasons and their first games in the NFL. Combines, final exams, graduation, draft day – these are times filled with uncertainty, sadness and joy. These are times few football fans ever see. Until now, as TWO ROADS TO GLORY reveals:Back stage on Draft Day as Archie Manning counsels Peyton in the moments leading up to his selection. "Get your attitude ready. Just be honest." |
Draft day excitement at the Blackmon home turns to disappointment as the projected second-round pick is not selected until the fourth round the next day. |
Manning’s reaction when he is not awarded the Heisman Trophy award. |
Blackmon’s rise from obscurity at the Senior Bowl. "I feel like I’m going places now." |
Packers safety LeRoy Butler to the Packers coaching staff after a defensive mistake by Blackmon: "Get him out of the game. If he doesn’t know the defense, take him out."
ENCORE SHOWINGS:
| Friday | September 4th | 8 PM(ET) | ESPN2 |
| Wednesday | September 9th | 5 PM(ET) | ESPN |
| Friday | September 11th | 1 PM(ET) | ESPN2 |