Washington - Even when the NFL season ends, superstar quarterback Peyton Manning is hard to miss on American TV. He has become such a marketable pitchman that his commercials - a sports drink here, a credit card company there - seem endless.

"So a lot of people here in the White House compound have been really looking forward to seeing Peyton Manning," Bush said on Monday on the South Lawn. "They wanted to see a guy who gets more air time than I do."

The Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29-17 in a rainstorm last February to become Super Bowl champs. On Monday, players basked in the sunshine below the South Portico, as Bush hailed them for ignoring naysayers and playing as a well-balanced team.

The Colts' Tony Dungy became the first black coach to win a Super Bowl. Long one of the most respected figures in the National Football League, Dungy coped with the suicide of his son, James, in late 2005. Bush alluded to that.

"He is a man who has used his - a position of notoriety to behave in a quiet and strong way in the face of personal tragedy that has influenced a lot of our fellow citizens," Bush said of Dungy, who stood next to him on stage. "And I want to thank you for your courage."

Players pulled out personal cameras to get photos with Bush. They did the same with another political star and football fan who showed up for the ceremony - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"Winning the Super Bowl a few months ago was probably about as special as you could get," Manning told reporters after the White House ceremony. "But I'm not sure you could actually beat what's happened here today."

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