Dana Hunsinger Benbow

dana.benbow@indystar.com

He has a neck beard. He lacks outward swagger. And with his self-proclaimed "I'm not cool" status, one would think he doesn't exactly make women swoon.

Yet, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has some sort of man card hidden up his No. 12 jersey that makes women want to wear No. 12.

Luck's is the No. 1-selling NFL jersey among women this season, according to the Jersey Report, which ranks NFL sales at Dick's Sporting Goods stores nationwide and online.

Of all Luck jerseys sold (which is plenty; he ranks No. 2 in total jersey sales behind Peyton Manning), 23 percent were purchased by women. Compare that to 16 percent of women buying Manning jerseys and just 7 percent of women buying those of Cleveland Browns' Johnny Manziel (No. 3 in total jersey sales).

The closest contender to Luck among women is the Baltimore Ravens' Joe Flacco. Of Flacco's total jersey sales, 24 percent are bought by women. And while his percentage is higher than Luck's, his total number of jerseys sold is well below Luck (7th in the NFL). Thus, his sales to women fall short of Luck's. The Jersey Report does not release exact numbers of jerseys sold.

So what is it about Luck? He has charisma. He has charm. Plenty of it. He's like your best friend's younger brother you had the crush on. He's smart (Stanford grad). He reads non-fiction books. He plays nerdy board games. He cried during a screening of "The Fault in Our Stars" movie this year.

"He's an athletic teddy bear with a heart of gold," said Kelly Walker, of Westfield. "Makes me wish I was younger so maybe I could date him."

Oh. And he's pretty good at football, too. On the field, a subtle arrogance exudes. Very subtle.

He knows how to trash talk (insert bad boy) politely (so not that bad boyish). He's been known to mouth a cuss word when he makes a boneheaded mistake.

"I used to think (he was) dorky," said Krista Rhoades, of Greenfield. "But the more I watch him play and hear him talk, he's sorta hot."

Perhaps some women do think he's hot. But Dave Moroknek says Luck's popularity goes far beyond any superficial factor.

"Andrew is absolutely the face of the organization and represents the team so well both on and off the field that he is a natural person to be a hero," said Moroknek, the CEO of MainGate, the official retail partner of the Colts. "I think everybody can identify with (him). He is just a good citizen, a good role model and one heck of a football player."

"I've got such a crush on him, I think my husband is actually raging jealous of Andrew," said Bettianne Slately, of Connersville. "He's dreamy."

Of course, there are naysayers. People who don't want to give Luck, the man or the football player, credit for his skyrocketing jersey sales among women.

They say it's simply the name on the back of the jersey. Luck, as in good luck.

And when it comes to women buying it? There's that song "Luck Be A Lady," made famous by crooner Frank Sinatra.

Which all could have a bit of truth to it. Besides Indiana, Nevada (home, of course, to Las Vegas) sells more Luck jerseys to women than any other state.

Follow Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow.