Cooper Manning, the oldest of the three Manning brothers, has earned national recognition for his humor and wit as host of “The Manning Hour” on “FOX NFL Sunday.” Cooper’s experience in high school, college and professional sports has made him a natural fit for the broadcast booth and he has hosted and/or co- hosted numerous projects over the years, including both television and radio shows during football season on WWL in New Orleans.

Cooper was heavily recruited by Division I schools out of high school, including University of Texas, Virginia and Ole Miss, before deciding to attend his father’s alma mater (Ole Miss) on a football scholarship. A career-ending injury forced the Rebel wide receiver to the sidelines, but his love for the game has never diminished. Cooper was a two-time All-State wide receiver at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans and played in the Louisiana High School All-Star Game, as well as played on two state championship basketball teams.

He is currently a principal at AJ Capital Partners, a vertically integrated real estate development and investment firm. As the senior managing director, Cooper focuses on business development and investor relations. In 2014, AJ Capital launched the Graduate Hotels brand, a hand-crafted collection of hotels in university-anchored markets across the country, and currently have 35 locations across the United States and UK.

Prior to joining AJ Capital Partners, he worked in institutional equity sales with Howard Weil in New Orleans, specializing in the oil and gas business. During his 16 years at Howard Weil, Mr. Manning was integral in positing the company as a leader in the energy sector. He was involved in the sale of Howard Weil to Scotia Bank in 2012 and remained on through the transition as a partner.

He is active with The Academy of Sacred Heart, his alma mater Isidore Newman School and serves as board member at The Idea Village.

A University of Mississippi graduate, he resides in New Orleans with his wife and three children.