Peyton Manning, who led the Indianapolis Colts to victory in Super Bowl XL, addresses Irvine Auditorium last night. He said to the crowd: “I wouldn’t tell the owner of the Colts this, but I’d play for free.” (David Wang/DP)

Irvine Auditorium was filled to capacity yesterday evening. Students were almost spilling over both levels of the balcony. As the Superbowl XLI champion quarterback took the stage, the audience cheered and rose in a contagious standing ovation. Still, the NFL MVP managed to remains quite humble under his newfound omnipresent spotlight.

“I feel a little more comfortable here in Philly when people start booing me,” said Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts and keynote speaker at yesterday’s SPEC-sponsored event.

Manning was charming. But the success of his speech wasn’t because he was funny, or that he has an endearingly goofy smile. This star quarterback was a genuinely inspirational speaker, whose intelligence and honesty truly stood out.

“A long time ago, I decided to focus on the journey, not the destination,” Manning said. People often lose because “they never stop talking about how they screwed up the previous season.”

In every outlet of life, he stressed the importance of focusing on the present rather than harping on the past. At Penn, our type-A personalities may be overwhelmed by past errors and future possibilities, we should only aim to tackle our current challenges.

As a leader, “you have to have the confidence to know that you can be the difference-maker,” Manning said. Addressing “everyone in this room,” he discussed how “with great advantages come great responsibility.”

Clearly, Manning has fulfilled this “re, through his ongoing charitable efforts as the head of the Peyback Foundation. In his hometown of New Orleans and in Indiana, both Peyton and his brother Eli have improved the lives of so many disadvantaged children.

Yet humble as ever, the all-star quarterback incredulously remarked, “for some reason, they let me host Saturday Night Live.”

Peyton Manning was excellent choice as this semester’s SPEC Connaissance speaker, and his admirable qualities should become a standard criteria for future speakers at Penn. His contributions on and off the field make him a model worthy of emulation. Besides, how many people are able to throw a 53-yard touchdown pass?

Next season’s speaker — Tiki Barber, anyone?

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