When he was a teenager, Nathan Stibbs used to catch passes thrown by Peyton Manning during high school games. This week, he was thrilled to receive something else from the Indianapolis Colts star quarterback.
Mr. Manning snagged a ticket to Super Bowl XLIV for his friend and former teammate.
Despite the Colt QB's largesse, Mr. Stibbs will be cheering more for the New Orleans Saints than the Colts in the big game Sunday. The senior vice president of national business development for Atlanta-based Triad Advisors Inc. will proudly wear the black and gold.
The Indianapolis signal-caller also grew up supporting the Saints. He didn't have much choice, of course, his father, Archie, became a legend in the Crescent City as quarterback of the Saints from 1971-1982. Archie and his wife Olivia still live in the city, while their eldest son, Cooper is part owner of New Orleans-based energy investment firm, Howard Weil Inc.
“It's kind of a pickle. I'm a diehard Saints fan,” said Mr. Stibbs, whose firm manages $9 billion in assets. “I'll be pulling for the Saints, but I've got to take into account that the guy who got me the ticket is the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. It's tough.”
Indeed, this weekend's match-up in Miami is creating a quandary for a number of advisers in the New Orleans area. The Saints may be their team, they say, but the Mannings are their friends.
“It's a Catch-22,” said Baldwin Montgomery, an adviser with Waters Parkerson & Co., a registered investment advisory firm in New Orleans that manages about $800 million in assets. “I'm a Saints fan at heart, but Peyton is a good friend and I respect everything he's done.”
In fact, Mr. Manning also got tickets for Mr. Montgomery, who is so torn that he declined to reveal who he'll be rooting for on Sunday.
Mr. Stibbs understands Mr. Montgomery's dilemma. Still, he'll be rooting for the Saints come Sunday. He said he and his friends, including Peyton Manning, all grew up wanting to play for the Saints, and even played backyard football games wearing Saints uniforms. And he points out that, while Mr. Manning got him access to the prized Super Bowl tickets, he paid his own way into the game.
“If you look at the magnitude of the game for the city of New Orleans … unless you have lived there, you don't know it but this is all New Orleans has,” said Mr. Stubbs, who now lives in Atlanta. “The relationship between the city and the fans is closer and more intimate than any other city.”
Emotions run high on the other side of the ball, as well. Layton John, an Indianapolis-based adviser with LJI Wealth Management LLC, is a Colts fan who is going to the Super Bowl with a client. He said he plans to meet up with other clients of LJI, which manages about $55 million in assets, while in New Orleans.
As a graduate of Indiana University, Mr. John said he's thrilled that former IU football players Tracy Porter and Courtney Roby made it to the Super Bowl. In addition, the Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, starred for Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
“I'm glad that Tracy Porter and Courtney Roby are in the Super Bowl,” Mr. John said.
Likewise, many New Orleans find it hard to root against Mr. Manning, who led his high school team, Isidore Newman School, to a 34–5 record during three seasons as starter. “I think everybody wants Peyton to do well,” said Mr. Stibbs.
If he does, and the Colts win the game, it'll be tough on Saints fans, some of whom have waited 43 years to see New Orleans get their first shot at a Super Bowl title.
Still, for a city that's endured the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, a loss on Sunday won't be the end of the world.
“We're just excited about the Saints and it's such a great experience for the city,” said Devin Wakeman, who grew up in New Orleans and works at Waters Parkerson & Co. “It seems like the city has already won. This shows the nation we're not on our backs anymore.”
Shop Talk is a regular column detailing how financial advisers run their businesses. The column focuses on unusual or innovative ways to attract more clients. Suggestions or tips for Shop Talk? E-mail Lisa Shidler at
[email protected] or visit the Shop Talk page at InvestmentNews.com/shoptalk.
