National Football League veteran and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning came to Georgia Southern on Tuesday to address the university and Statesboro community as part of the 2015 Leadership Lecture Series.

Manning shared many stories throughout the night of how he came to the place he is now. He talked about two of his sons, Peyton and Eli, who currently play in the NFL. He also talked about his wife, former coaches and former teammates that have inspired and helped him throughout his career.

He spoke about setting goals and the importance of this when it comes to being a leader. He stressed the importance of having a plan so when a setback arises, you are able to overcome it by remembering and falling back on the goals that you have set.

“If you don’t set and manage your own goals, someone else will manage them for you,” Manning said.

However, no matter what he said, everything came back to being a leader. No matter where life takes you, Manning said there is an opportunity to better yourself as a leader but it takes humbleness to realize that and put it into action.

Becoming a leader is not something that happens overnight and is not an easy thing to accomplish. It takes work and experience. Being put into the role of quarterback was Manning’s first experience that truly helped him realize his potential leadership capabilities.

“Leadership is about action. It’s something you do and every one of us can be a better leader. In school, in our jobs, in our families and in life,” Manning said.

Manning finished his talk with a couple of questions. It was a challenge to everyone in attendance and was used to make the audience think about themselves. He has faced struggles in his career – in football and life in general. However, that has not stopped him from becoming a man who has received numerous accolades from around the nation.

“The question is not when will you face adversity. The question is what will you do when you face adversity. You can get bitter, or you can get better. It can overcome you, or you can overcome it,” Manning said.

It is plain to see that Archie Manning has certainly overcome everything that has come his way. Even knee surgery did not stop him from walking up the stairs to speak to the students and community in Hanner Field House.

Manning followed up his talk by answering questions from students and finally received a standing ovation for his time as he exited the stage.