DANNYMANNINGWASA BASKETBALLLEGEND BEFOREHISHIGHSCHOOL GRADUATIONCOMMENCED. His father, Ed, played professionally in the NBA and ABA. The younger Manning led Page High School to a North Carolina high school state championship his junior year. Once his father was hired at Kansas, the Manning family moved to Lawrence, where Danny led his Lawrence High team to a state title his senior year while being named Kansas Player of the Year.
Not surprisingly, Danny committed to the University of Kansas and became one of the greatest college basketball players in NCAA history. As a senior, he led the Jayhawks to an NCAA National Championship. He was a one-man show, as evidenced by the team’s moniker “Danny and the Miracles.” Manning left Lawrence as the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. As a senior, he won the Wooden, Naismith and Eastman awards as the country’s best collegiate player.