Caitlin Clark reveals Peyton Manning was her favorite NFL player growing up

Caitlin Clark grew up watching Peyton Manning, so it’s only fitting that she would end up in Indianapolis to begin her WNBA career. As Clark prepared to play her first home game for the Indiana Fever since the Olympic break, she reflected on the times she traveled from Iowa as a kid to watch the quarterback play.

The point guard even recalled owning a pink Manning jersey when he played for the Colts. That in mind, she was already familiar with the city when she was drafted and has only come to love it more since.

“I always had really great experiences here,” Clark said. “The crowds were always really great whenever I played here. I was fairly familiar. I actually grew up a Peyton Manning fan. I had his pink Peyton Manning Colts jerseys. So it’s kind of funny how everything kind of comes full circle. So I’ve been here a few times and always loved it and ever since I’ve got here I’ve loved it even more.”

Caitlin Clark’s favorite NFL player growing up, of all people, was Peyton Manning.

She had a pink Manning Colts jersey when she was a kid, and her coming to Indianapolis was somewhat of a full circle moment. pic.twitter.com/QS5CwcQpBw

— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) August 18, 2024

Clark has a chance to win the Rookie of the Year award this season, something Manning failed to do in his first season with the Colts (he finished second). She would go on to break the WNBA rookie assist record on Sunday against the Seattle Storm, recording her 225th dime of the season.

The former Iowa star’s impact on the city of Indianapolis and women’s basketball as a whole couldn’t be more evident as the Fever have broken several WNBA attendance records in her opening season. They are also currently in seventh place with a chance to make their first playoff appearance since 2016.

Indiana has won just one title in its WNBA history, with that coming in 2012. Clark will hope to one day lead the Fever to another, just as Manning did by bringing the Colts a Super Bowl in 2006.

She seems well on her way to building a strong career, and it will be exciting to see where she takes things from here. But as far as she’s concerned, it couldn’t have gotten started in a better place.

“It’s been an easy adjustment,” Clark said. “It’s easy to enjoy the crowds in Indianapolis. This is definitely a big city, but it doesn’t always feel that way. It feels like a small community that supports one another and definitely people that love their sports. I can’t imagine going to a better place.”