“Once a Giant, Always a Giant, Only a Giant.” The New York Giants were blessed with the legendary Eli Manning for 16 seasons, while he earned two Super Bowl MVP trophies before his retirement and was known to grab records as if they were infinity stones. Eli Manning has been the football legend who’s ubiquitous with love and admiration, but in retirement? He is winning more than games.

As a father of four, Eli uses his understanding of defense to protect his family life at home while keeping up with his dad’s jokes. Grab your foam finger, and let’s dive in and learn about the cute ‘rocks’ that he loves to infinity and beyond.

Who are Eli Manning’s children?

Eli Manning and Abby McGrew have four wonderful children who are both cute and talented, and they’re his ‘rocks.’ Here’s the lineup:

Born on 21st March 2010, Ava Frances Manning immediately bonded with her father. Eli found true love for his daughter Ava when she started performing at football games, just like him. Manning once shared, “The greatest thing about being a dad is that you never realize you can love something immediately.” She has her father’s genes, plus she makes him go to her middle school football games as her enthusiastic fan, rooting for Mini Manning, GO AVA, 13.

The second blessing arrived on June 17, 2013, and until today, Lucy Thomas Manning’s childhood could be summarized as sweet sibling moments and birthday cakes. As the artistic member of the family, Lucy creates exceptional Halloween costumes with her sisters every year. Lucy follows sports like swimming and lacrosse because her family believes sports help people learn valuable life skills. And in the words of the 11-year-old: “sports teach life lessons.”

On January 29, 2015, Caroline Olivia Manning became a part of the Manning fam. The Third Manning began her sports journey at the age of 9 years. She prefers to play hockey now, although she loves her father’s football legacy. Eli can be witnessed photographing Caroline’s hockey practice, including headgear mishaps, just like a typical team celebration.

On Super Bowl Sunday, February 3, 2019, Charlie Elisha Manning arrived as the last Manning baby. The youngest Manning trains for football with Eli in their house living room by playing knee football while practicing ball security techniques. As Eli puts it, “Athletics are great tools for learning hard work, dealing with ups and downs, and staying committed.”

Are any of Eli’s kids hoping to follow in his footsteps?

Ah, the million-dollar question: Will the NFL see another Manning player shine on the national stage? Well, the former QB’s been known to take quite a relaxed approach to his children’s sporting prospects. “There’s no pressure at all,” he explained there’s no performance expectations on them. No one wishes to match the athletic achievements of Uncle Peyton or Grandpa Archie because their legacies loom large. “We never forced sports upon them,” he noted. “With kids, it’s just about getting them into activities. We went through [theater and music], as well. It’s just about finding something that they love to do. We try not to get too serious about it at this age. It’s just more about keeping them healthy, [building] friendship, maybe learning some life lessons through sports about teamwork and dedication and dealing with success and failure. It’s more about that than about being an elite athlete.”

Sports still have a place in Eli Manning’s family life. All four Manning children indulge in different sports, as Ava and Lucy cheerlead while Caroline plays hockey and Charlie practices his football throws. Since retiring in 2019, Eli has used his carpool time with his kids and relished it a lot. “Just getting some car time with my kids can be the best time.”

Eli’s post-NFL ventures include becoming part-owner of Gotham Women’s Soccer Club. Why? His daughters inspired him. “As a dad, I want to make sure my daughters have all the athletic opportunities I had,” he explained. Even though the 44-year-old focuses on fatherhood these days, people should not overlook his active competitive nature. Through activities like fishing with Charlie and supporting Ava at her events, Manning shows everyone how great he is at parenting.

“It’s gonna be hard. It’s gonna be awkward. You’re gonna be bad at something. It’s about working through it and having a positive attitude and overcoming some of the obstacles and that’s what makes it fun and worth it.” Although Eli Manning is not firing up the gridiron anymore, he continues to leave his mark through family activities, in family traditions, sportsmanship, and maybe, just maybe, a Manning 2.0 in the making.