Fresno State Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Graduate Assistant (Offense)
Email Ricky Manning Jr. at rickym@csufresno.edu
Former NFL player and Fresno native Ricky Manning Jr. is in his first season as a member of the Bulldog coaching staff, serving as a graduate assistant working with the secondary.
Manning played six seasons in the NFL after being drafted in the third round of the 2003 draft by the Carolina Panthers. In the pros, Manning played in 84 career games making 38 starts. He recorded 268 career tackles, 14 interceptions, four sacks and four forced fumbles while playing for three different NFL teams. He also had five career playoff interceptions and played in two Super Bowls (XXXVIII & XLI).
NFL career highlights for Manning include his performances during the 2003-04 NFL playoffs during his rookie season, when his interception against St. Louis helped propel the Panthers into the NFC Championship. Manning came back the next weekend and intercepted three passes in a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles to help send the Panthers to the Super Bowl. Manning was named the Defensive Player of the Week in each of those two victories and became the first rookie to receive the honors twice in the same postseason.
A Fresno native and graduate of Edison High School, Manning started in 45 consecutive games for UCLA in college. That ranked as the second-longest starting streak in school history. He intercepted 13 passes as a Bruin and was a three-time first-team All-Pac 10 selection.
Manning gained prior coaching experience serving as the head coach at Edison High School in 2012 when he led his team to a 9-4 record and semifinal playoff appearance, was an assistant coach in charge of the secondary and special teams at Fresno City College from 2013-14 and did a coaching internship with the Denver Broncos in the summer of 2014.
Manning holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and organizational leadership from Fresno Pacific, obtained in 2013. He is working towards his mater's degree at Fresno State.
He and his wife, Tosha, have four sons (ages 8, 6, 5 and 1).
