Eli Manning's second Super Bowl title celebration tour is not over. NBC has announced the Giants quarterback will host "Saturday Night Live" on May 5. Manning is the 11th football player to host the show (including Carl Weathers, whose fame was more due to acting than football). Rihanna is slotted to be the musical guest.
Initial reaction is that Manning is too quiet to star on the show, but, hey, has he ever failed under the New York limelight before? Manning will be the fifth quarterback to host "SNL." He joins an elite group, which includes his brother and the guy he's beaten in the last two Super Bowls.
Fran Tarkenton
Jan. 29, 1977 (Season 2, Episode 13): Just 20 days after losing Super Bowl XI with the Vikings, Tarkenton became the first athlete to host what was known then as "NBC's Saturday Night." Although he played his first six and final seven seasons in Minnesota, Tarkenton spent five years (1967-1971), as a Giant in New York, the site of SNL. Many of the sketches the Hall of Famer took part in were football-based. That includes this skit in which John Belushi plays the coach of the Saturday Night Team. Note: The full episode shows Dick Schaap in the audience. Musical guests: Leo Sayer, and Donny Harper and the Voices of Tomorrow.
Joe Montana
Jan. 24, 1987 (Season 12, Episode 9): On the eve of Super Bowl XXI between the Giants and Broncos, NBC landed two of football's most iconic faces as hosts: Montana and Walter Payton. Just a few weeks earlier, Montana had suffered a mild concussion in a 49-3 divisional playoff loss to the Giants in nearby East Rutherford, N.J. Montana was not afraid to make that the topic of his monologue. Musical Guest: Debbie Harry.
Tom Brady
April 16, 2005 (Season 30, Episode 16): Fresh off his third Super Bowl title in four years, Brady became the youngest quarterback to host at 27. For one night, Boston's favorite son took New York. One of Brady's top performances came in a skit called "Sexual Harassment and You" in which he poked fun at his pretty-boy personality. Brady also had some fun backstage with Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb and Donovan McNabb's mom. Sort of. Musical Guest: Beck.
Peyton Manning
March 24, 2007 (Season 32, Episode 16): In one of SNL's highest-rated shows of the season (it re-aired twice before Season 33 began), the reigning Super Bowl MVP continued his dominance among marketable athletes. Manning took shots from Amy Poehler about Tom Brady having more Super Bowl rings than him, but also took his own shots at a group of young children (see video). Brothers Eli and Cooper wheeled out a cake, as the episode was on Manning's 31st birthday. Archie and Olivia Manning also make appearances. Musical Guest: Carrie Underwood.
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