Pro football star Eli Manning and his college sweetheart wife, Abby McGrew, keep a relatively
low profile, but we've managed to learn a thing or two about the Super Bowl champ's
better half.
From raising kids to raising money, she has certainly made an impact off the field and
outside the spotlight.
Super-private college sweethearts
This love story began in college when Manning and McGrew were both students at the University
of Mississippi.
The smitten couple met in spring 2002, while he was a junior and she was a freshman.
They officially began dating in the fall of 2002 as the Ole Miss football season was starting
up.
It would take another five years for him to propose.
Manning was rather tight-lipped about everything surrounding their engagement, as the couple
like to keep their private lives private.
In order to get more deets on the proposal, the press had to pry information out of anonymous
sources.
An insider who spoke to the New York Daily News revealed,
"It was really low-key, it happened at home at a very unexpected moment.
It was so Eli, casual, no-frills, so in his nature."
A charitable WAG
With one of the highest-paid athletes in the world as a husband, Abby McGrew has proven
to be one generous WAG, which stands for athletes' "wives and girlfriends."
In 2009, for example, she and Manning supported a five-year, $10 million fundraising drive
to create a state-of-the-art birthing center at New York's St. Vincent's Hospital.
McGrew has also given hefty donations to her alma mater, including $1 million to the Ole
Miss Opportunity scholarship program in 2010.
And in 2016, she and Manning worked on behalf of children and families once again when they
donated $1 million to Children's of Mississippi's "Growing" capital campaign.
A fashion industry exec
During her time at Ole Miss, McGrew managed to find the time to pledge a sorority, Kappa
Delta, while also working toward her degree in family and consumer sciences.
After she graduated in 2005, her future hubby was already the New York Giants' starting
quarterback, so she could've easily hung up her diploma and just lived off his millions.
Instead, she decided to head out into the real world and snag a job of her own.
When she arrived in New York, she ended up working as an account executive for Pamella
Roland, the founder and namesake of an evening wear fashion line.
Fancy but humble
Since Manning was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL draft, he and McGrew have
settled comfortably into the NYC metropolitan area, very comfortably.
In 2017, they purchased a mansion in Quogue, New York, for a cool $8.5 million.
Though they may live in fancy digs, McGrew and her hubby are still as humble as ever,
at least according to residents who've come in contact with the high-profile couple.
According to a 2012 CBS New York report, the couple likes to frequent low-key establishments
during downtime.
Folks in their area have also claimed that Mr. and Mrs. Manning's personalities are equally
down-to-earth.
A waiter at Madison Bar and Grill in Hoboken, New Jersey called McGrew "very chatty," while
another person described the couple as "so kind, so nice."
For the love of antiquing
As a kid, Eli Manning would join his mom for antique shopping to avoid going to his older
brothers' basketball games.
In a 2008 New York Times article, he revealed that he didn't really want to go at first,
but he had to tag along since there was no one to watch him.
But after a few trips, he eventually started to enjoy the hobby.
After enrolling at Ole Miss, he hit up New Orleans' iconic Magazine Street to find decorations
for his college apartment.
He also perused that same treasure-filled area when it came time to choose decor for
his apartment in Hoboken when he made the big move into the NFL.
He even passed on this love to his wife, who now joins him when he goes antiquing during
the off-season.
The couple who antiques together stays together!
Family first
Although Eli Manning loves the game of football, his wife and children always come first.
The Super Bowl champ is raising three daughters: Ava Frances, Lucy Thomas, and Caroline Olivia.
He dedication to his family was clear when he skipped out on attending Super Bowl XLIX
in 2015 as a spectator so he could be by his wife's side as she gave birth to their third
daughter.
Manning doesn't mind being outnumbered by women in his family.
In 2014, he told Parade some of his favorite things about being a dad.
"Some of my favorite little moments are just when we have the whole family together, maybe
bathtime, and I have both kids in the bathtub and there's bubbles and they're splashing."
But when it comes to considering the pigskin as a potential future for his girls, that's
where Manning draws the line.
He told Parade,
"I don't think I'd want my girls to play football one day.
I hope they have some interest in sports, but if they don't that's fine."