Like so many citizens of the Big Orange Nation, Sam Pineda became a huge Peyton Manning fan at a very young age, the Chattanooga native attending many a Tennessee game with his father during Manning's time with the Volunteers from 1994 through 1997.
When the Indianapolis Colts made the greatest Vol ever the overall No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL draft, a 9-year-old Pineda wrote the quarterback a letter, never expecting a reply.
But in an open letter to No. 18 on Sunday, Pineda wrote of Manning's response: "You replied. Your response was short and simple, but its impact has been long and won't soon be forgotten. Thank you for being a letter writer. There's no substitute for a handwritten note. It shows that you value the one to whom you write. Your appreciation for others shows your character. It's easy to throw money at a cause or charity, but time shows true value."
This was far from the only point he made in his note to the player who wore No. 16 at Tennessee but No. 18 - his famous father Archie's number at Ole Miss - for all of his 18 NFL seasons, the past four with the Denver Broncos after his time with the Colts ended.
Now 27 and living in Black Mountain, N.C., Pineda also thanked Manning for not retiring immediately after last month's Super Bowl 50 victory over the Carolina Panthers, writing: "If ever there was a chance to take a moment and make it about yourself, that was it but that moment was about a team, an organization, a city."
He thanked him for "always showing gratitude for those around you. In victory, you were always quick to deflect personal attention and thank your teammates. But it was more than just teammates. You thanked coaches, family members, ball boys, equipment managers, even reporters! You always seemed to make an effort to thank those whom you knew no one else would recognize."
He thanked Manning for his countless charitable acts, writing in part: "Books could be filled with the stories of terminal medical patients, widowed mothers and veterans who have received a phone call, letter, visit or personal invitation by you. But most of those stories will never be heard or written about. Because when those things happen, you don't publicize them. You don't have a Twitter or Instagram page filled with your selfless acts because they are not unique events. That's just who you are."
He even thanked Manning for staying all four years at Tennessee rather than leaving for the NFL after his junior season.
"You have always been a finisher and when you gave your word to Coach Fulmer to be there for four years, you did just that," Pineda wrote. "I imagine what must make your decision to retire so difficult is the fact that you've never voluntarily walked away from any team you've been a part of."
Some will argue Manning may not be voluntarily walking away from the Denver Broncos. Much as Indy jettisoned the future Hall of Famer over both finances and concerns he was past his prime, the Broncos were apparently unwilling to cough up the $19 million they would have owed Manning if they still had him on the roster come Wednesday.
So with his 40th birthday arriving in 17 days, No. 18 is wisely calling it quits on one of the two or three most impressive quarterback careers in NFL history.
After all, no other QB in league history has won a Super Bowl with two different teams. Moreover, Manning's four Super Bowl appearances - two each with the Colts and Broncos - came with four different coaches.
Then there are the records, everything from most touchdowns in a career (539), season (55) and game (seven, tie); to most passing yards in a career (71,490) and season (5,477); to most games with a perfect 158.3 passer rating (5); to most career victories (200), playoffs included. He is tied with Brett Favre for most regular-season victories with 186.
But the numbers don't scream "Omaha!" or bring folks to belly-busting laughter as the funniest athlete to ever guest host "Saturday Night Live." They don't help raise more than $1 million for the Chattanooga Heroes Fund, as Manning did this past summer after the July 16 terrorist attack. Or send 25 young people (and counting) to UT via his scholarship program.
Those impacts will assuredly be long and not soon forgotten.
Yet even those charitable numbers don't mean near so much to the families of those five murdered servicemen as the phone calls and letters Manning has often used to connect with the families of our Fallen Five since that awful day.
That doesn't mean Peyton's perfect. He has made mistakes and been painfully reminded of those mistakes and alleged mistakes since the Super Bowl ended a month ago.
But Manning has also done so much more good than bad over the past two decades.
Just ask Pineda or anyone else he's ever written or called or visited.
So while Pineda is certainly right to praise Manning for being a letter writer, No. 18 deserves at least as much praise for giving hundreds of thousands of folks in the Tennessee Valley and beyond so many reasons to write him thank-you notes for his generosity of money, spirit and time.
May he never feel the need to retire those.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.