New York Giants great Eli Manning recalls trying to emulate Derek Jeter's stature in New York as a rookie: "You want to get to Derek Jeter level"

Derek Jeter is not only a New York icon, but a sports icon. He was the face of the most recognizable sports team in the world for about two decades, winning five championships and cementing his status as an all-time champion.

However, he's not the only New York sports icon. He transcends the city, but he also shares it. In the NFL, Eli Manning is that sports icon. He is a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback for the New York Giants.

When Manning first got to New York as a rookie in 2004, Jeter was well established. He had already won four of his five rings and had been in the league for nine full years at that point.

Manning recalls thinking he needed to be like Jeter when he first entered the league, as he told the former New York Yankees star on the Eli Manning Show.

Manning recalled a brutal performance with a zero quarterback rating, but that Jeter called him to lend some advice:

"You called me... 'Keep grinding, keep your head up, New York's a tough place.' It meant a lot to me cause when I was coming into New York, you were the role model. You were kinda, 'Hey, this is where you want to get to. You want to get to Derek Jeter level.'"

Jeter's advice must have helped Manning because he would go on to become one of the most iconic players in New York football history.

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How long did Derek Jeter play in New York?

Derek Jeter was a longtime Yankee and he had the benefit of never playing anywhere else, something a lot of players today cannot say.

He debuted in 1995, though he only played in 15 games. The following year, he won Rookie of the Year.

Derek Jeter retired in 2014

He would go on to play for the Yankees until 2014 when he retired. He never had any major injury issues, save for a 2013 season (when he was 39) when he only played 17 games.

Other than that, he never played less than 119 games and other than that season, never less than 148.