On Eli's night, Archie will try to find that place he rarely finds at Ole Miss -- the background

Oct. 22—OXFORD — Archie Manning will stay in the background on Saturday afternoon.

At least as much as Archie Manning can be in the background, and that's no easy task.

Saturday is about Eli, though, as his Ole Miss No. 10 is retired during the Ole Miss-LSU game with the appropriate pomp and circumstance for one who helped lead the Rebels to a national profile much as his father Archie had done many years before.

When Saturday is complete it is believed that Archie and Eli will be the SEC's first father-and-son tandem to have their numbers retired at the same school.

A long list of Eli Era Ole Miss players will be in attendance.

Eli won 24 games over three seasons as the starting quarterback.

Twice since the SEC split into divisional play Ole Miss has come painfully close to earning a trip to the SEC championship game.

The first time was when Saturday's opponent, LSU, coached then by Nick Saban, defeated the Rebels 17-14 in 2003, Eli's senior year.

Eli still holds Ole Miss career records for passing yards (10,119) and touchdowns (81).

A few weeks ago the New York Giants, for whom Eli was twice a Super Bowl MVP, retired his number.

"We're proud of Eli. Our cup runneth over," Archie Manning said.

Accepting honors and awards are second nature in the Manning family, but Archie calls this level of recognition "the ultimate."

There's something else that is the ultimate in the Manning-Ole Miss relationship, and it's Archie.

Maybe Eli himself will explain in small circles this weekend why he chose to attend Ole Miss. His brother Peyton did not.

It remains to be seen if Ole Miss alum Cooper's five-star son Arch Manning will choose the Rebels.

Archie didn't pressure his sons, and he's not pressuring his grandson.

"I keep my nose out of that," he said.

Archie's nose has been a lot of places through the years from an NFL career to roles in football broadcasts for TV and radio to the National Football Foundation which operates the College Football Hall of Fame. He also served on the first College Football Playoff committee and founded, with his sons, the Manning Passing Academy, a summertime favorite in South Louisiana. The list goes on.

Wherever Archie goes there's the unspoken role of ambassador for Ole Miss.

There have no doubt been schools that have benefitted more financially from successful former players.

I can't imagine another school has gotten more mileage from a relationship with a former player in terms of praise, notoriety and goodwill than Ole Miss has gotten from Archie Manning.

That bond didn't happen because Archie made frequent trips to the campus with parents who were Ole Miss graduates; they were not.

His dad may have led him in some conversations, but Archie as a child connected with John Vaught's Ole Miss teams.

"I always felt like, and I've said this publicly before, we've had a lot of wonderful things come our way, but to me, I think the greatest thrill I ever had in sports was when I was named quarterback at Ole Miss," he said.

Archie would meet his wife Olivia at Ole Miss.

It was their love for the school, not Vaught's teams, that presented Ole Miss to their sons in a way it wasn't presented to Archie.

The sons were also presented with the love and respect that allowed freedom of choice.

Cooper Manning and his family will arrive in Oxford Saturday — Arch and brother Heid, Newman's starting center, have football Friday night.

Peyton's busy schedule and obligations will prevent him from attending.

Archie has been thrilled with Peyton's success through the years and will have that same enthusiasm for Arch with whatever lucky college football program lands the grandson.

But there will no doubt be a special feeling for Archie Manning as he sits in the background Saturday.

Because Ole Miss is a special place for Archie.

"I cherish my relationship with Ole Miss. I don't take it for granted. I think because growing up 80 miles away and not being really connected — my parents didn't go there, no one in the family went there — just to follow coach Vaught's great teams there in the '50s and '60s ... people like Jake Gibbs, Glynn Griffing, Jimmy Weatherly, and I'm leaving some out, whoever the quarterback was, those guys were my heroes."

PARRISH ALFORD is the college sports editor and columnist for the Daily Journal. Contact him at parrish.alford@journalinc.com.