Larry Walker will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer as a member of the Colorado Rockies after having his most successful run in Denver. Manning made an excellent choice with his jersey selection.
Todd Helton, however, had a near (at least) Hall of Fame career for the Rockies but also briefly started ahead of Manning at quarterback at the University of Tennessee and is a long-time friend.
In 2004, Jerry Colquitt was the Volunteers starting quarterback, with Helton his backup and a freshman Manning No. 3 on the depth chart. Colquitt injured his knee in the season opener, Helton started three games, completing 36-of-60 passes for 406 yards with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions before also suffering a knee injury. Manning took over and earned the full-time job, completing 89-of-144 passes (61.8%) for 1,141 yards with 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.