Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma won the Heisman Trophy Saturday night as the outstanding college tackle football player in America. There's a story here.
Mayfield won the award as an original walk-on, that is someone who was not offered a scholarship to play tackle football. He is the first walk-on to win the Heisman since colleges were permitted to give athletic scholarships in 1950.
Mayfield was born and raised in Texas but his heart was always in Norman, Oklahoma. He initially went to Texas Tech and (as a walk-on) won the starting quarterback position. Considerable achievement, that. In fact, Mayfield is the first walk-on ever to win the starting quarterback job in the first game of his freshman year at a major football school. Mayfield immediately took that considerable achievement and cold-called on then Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. Just showed up and pleaded with Stoops to give him a shot at quarterbacking the "Sooners." Stoops said okay. As a walk-on of course. And you have to sit out a year. NCAA rules.
When Mayfield finally got a shot (and a scholarship) at OU in 2015 he merely was a Heisman finalist and finished fourth in the balloting. In 2016 he finished third. This year he won it. He is the first Heisman Trophy winner to be a three-time finalist. He won this year's award with the third highest percentage of voted points since 1950. Not bad. Not bad 'tall for a two-time walk-on.
Mayfield won the award as an original walk-on, that is someone who was not offered a scholarship to play tackle football. He is the first walk-on to win the Heisman since colleges were permitted to give athletic scholarships in 1950.
Mayfield was born and raised in Texas but his heart was always in Norman, Oklahoma. He initially went to Texas Tech and (as a walk-on) won the starting quarterback position. Considerable achievement, that. In fact, Mayfield is the first walk-on ever to win the starting quarterback job in the first game of his freshman year at a major football school. Mayfield immediately took that considerable achievement and cold-called on then Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. Just showed up and pleaded with Stoops to give him a shot at quarterbacking the "Sooners." Stoops said okay. As a walk-on of course. And you have to sit out a year. NCAA rules.
When Mayfield finally got a shot (and a scholarship) at OU in 2015 he merely was a Heisman finalist and finished fourth in the balloting. In 2016 he finished third. This year he won it. He is the first Heisman Trophy winner to be a three-time finalist. He won this year's award with the third highest percentage of voted points since 1950. Not bad. Not bad 'tall for a two-time walk-on.
