Manning, "Danny" (Daniel R.)
Basketball
b. May 17, 1966, Hattiesburg, MS
A four-year starter at the University of Kansas, where his father was an assistant coach, Manning set a Big Eight record with 2,951 career points. The 6-foot-10, 234-pound forward won the Wooden, Naismith, and Eastman Awards as the college player of the year in 1988. In Kansas's 83-79 victory over the University of Oklahoma for the NCAA championship, Manning had 31 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 steals to be named most valuable player in the tournament.
He graduated as the school's all-time leader in scoring and rebounding, with 2,951 points and 1,187 boards. He ranks eighth on the NCAA's all-time scoring list.
Manning played for the U. S. team that won a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics and then joined the San Diego Clippers, who had made him the number one pick in the NBA draft. He played only 26 games as a rookie because of a knee injury required surgery, but he returned for 1989-90 season. His best year as a pro was 1992-93, when he averaged 22.8 points a game and played in the NBA All-Star game. He was also an all-star the following season, with the Phoenix Suns.
But continuing knee problems forced Manning to become a part-time player in 1996, after he had undergone two more surgeries. He won the 1997-98 Sixth Man Award as the best off the bench in the NBA, averaging 13.5 points, though he played only about 17 minutes a game.
Manning went to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1999 and played for different teams during is final four seasons in the league. He announced his retirement in the summer of 2003 and returned to the University of Kansas as director of student-athlete development and team manager.