Peyton Manning's 2 Kids: Everything to Know About His Twins

Peyton Manning is as much a family man as he is a world-class football player.

The former NFL quarterback and his wife, Tennessee native Ashley Thompson Manning, wed in March 2001 and welcomed their children a decade later. Their fraternal twins, son Marshall Williams and daughter Mosley Thompson, were born in March 2011.

Ahead of his third Super Bowl appearance in 2014, Peyton told PEOPLE that Ashley and his kids were his good luck charms. ​​"My entire family keeps me positive and they always support me. … Without them, I would not be where I am today. I am very grateful," he said, adding of his twins, "My kids provide me a lot of joy and happiness every day. I'm learning more about them every day. It makes me happy and excited."

The New Orleans native believes that the twins joined him and his wife exactly when they were supposed to. "I think about the year they were born and all that was going on in with my injuries and it was the ultimate blessing in disguise," he told WTHR in 2021. "They came into my life at the time I needed them the most, and it was a real blessing for me and Ashley. They've given us a lot of joy."

Though they live relatively private lives, the twins have publicly been at their dad's side for many of his biggest moments, including the press conference announcing his retirement from the NFL in March 2016. Marshall even clung to his dad's leg as Peyton made his entrance.

The former Indianapolis Colts player paid tribute to his wife and kids in his retirement speech, saying, "Ashley's and my kids, Marshall and Mosley, have only been around for a couple of years but they have changed my life forever. … Our children are small now, but as they grow up, we're going to teach them to enjoy the little things in life because one day they will look back and discover that those really were the big things."

Though Peyton was dedicated to his craft during his 18 NFL seasons, his family was also always top of mind. After leading the Denver Broncos to victory in Super Bowl 50 in 2016, Peyton told CBS' Tracy Wolfson, "I want to go kiss my wife and my kids. I want to go hug my family." The quarterback then celebrated the win with his kids at Disneyland.

Read on to learn more about Peyton Manning's two children, Marshall and Mosley.

Marshall Williams Manning, 13

Marshall Williams was born on March 31, 2011, in Indianapolis. (Peyton played for the Indianapolis Colts from 1998 until 2011.) Marshall and his sister, Mosley, joined the Manning clan just 10 days after Peyton's younger brother, Eli, and his wife, Abby, welcomed their first child, daughter Ava.

Peyton may be one of the most famous NFL players of all time, but that doesn't mean Marshall's football idol is his dad. Marshall is a big fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and their Super Bowl-winning ​​quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. "It's very humbling having to ski with a Chiefs jersey right next to you, but since I'm related to the kid, I feel like I have to do it," Peyton said on The Kelly Clarkson Show in June 2021.

And even though Peyton coaches Marshall's flag football team, the Bills, rather than putting the family name on the back of the jersey, Marshall opted for "J. Allen," as in Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. "Tell me how to interpret that," Peyton told Allen on the ManningCast of Monday Night Football in November 2021. "And would you please tell him that's not a nice way to treat his father?"

This wasn't always the case, however. When Peyton won the 2016 AFC Championships with the Denver Broncos, a then-4-year-old Marshall rocked his dad's No. 18 jersey and a Broncos hat on the field while hiding behind the podium during the quarterback's post-game conference.

Football is famously in Peyton's DNA, and Marshall got an early start on the field. While Peyton was still playing, Marshall would accompany his dad to practice, tossing the pigskin with his father's teammates and practicing drills and exercises. He was also spotted at several of Peyton's big games, including the 2016 AFC Championship and Super Bowl 50.

After Peyton's retirement, Marshall got his dad into fantasy football. "When you're playing in football season, it's one thing, but now that you're not, it means fantasy football. For the second year, that is what is going on big in my life," Peyton told PEOPLE in 2016. It's not football-only in the Manning household, though. The football Hall of Famer and his son also take in NBA games, like a 2018 matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies, where Marshall was seen cheering and yelling for the jumbotron.

Peyton and Marshall enjoyed a father-son trip, attending the Giants-Eagles game in Philadelphia on Jan. 21, 2023, then heading to Orchard Park for the Bengals-Bills game on Jan. 22, 2023. The two were on the sidelines for both games, with Marshall wearing the jerseys of each of the home teams' starting quarterbacks. The NFL posted about the family-fun weekend, sharing photos of Peyton and Marshall at each game on Twitter. "Peyton Manning and his son Marshall are doing a tour of the #NFLPlayoffs," the caption read.

In February 2023, Marshall attended the Pro Bowl game in Las Vegas with Peyton, who coached the AFC squad. The aspiring quarterback helped the AFC and NFC teams warm up ahead of the event— throwing to players including wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Mosley Thompson Manning, 13

Mosley Thompson is Marshall's fraternal twin, and her middle moniker comes from her mother's maiden name.

Football is in Mosley's blood. When her famous dad hung up his cleats in 2016, the then-toddler got a special shout-out in his retirement speech. "A week before the Super Bowl, our daughter Mosley asked me, 'Daddy, is this the last game?' 'Yes, Mosley, it's the last game of the season.' 'I sure do want you to win that trophy.' 'I do, too, Mosley. And that's what we're going to try to do,' " he recalled, referring to Super Bowl 50.

He then teased that Mosley was trying to break the news of her dad's retirement, saying, "Then she asked, 'Daddy, is this the last game ever?' And that's just when I shook my head in amazement because I was thinking, 'Mort and Adam Schefter had gotten to my 5-year-old daughter to cultivate a new source.' "

While she doesn't play football, Mosley is into sports, and now that her dad is retired, she gets to see him cheering on the sidelines of her games. "My kids are playing flag football and soccer so I go to those practices and games," he said on the MMQB Podcast With Peter King in 2017. "It's important to me to be a part of those and to be around." Peyton later told WTHR in 2021 that like he did as a kid, both his children play "whatever's in season," which for Mosley includes softball, volleyball and tennis.

Peyton has repeatedly reiterated that he's reveling in being a hands-on dad. Post-retirement, he told WISH-TV in 2017 that his kids "will always be a priority, to be around," noting he enjoys "taking them to school" and coaching their sports teams.

Though she and her brother don't make many red carpet appearances, Mosley did get to be her dad's date to the 2015 ESPY Awards, where she posed with her dad after he received the award for Best Record-Breaking Performance.