Johnny Manziel: Road to the Heisman

The Eagle • AggieSports.com Commemorative Edition Friday, December 7, 2012

roadto the

heisman

johnny manziel:

D2 Friday, December 7, 2012Johnny Manziel: Road to theheiSMantheeagle.com • aggiesports.com

1731 S. Texas Ave.ACROSS FROM SPEC’S

Central Station Shopping Center

979-696-1255

MON-FRI 10AM-7PM • SAT 10AM-6PM • SUN 1PM-5PM

FOLLOW US ON:

www.thesleepstation.com

Jarrad McleodCLASS OF ‘03

(NOT A CANDIDATE)

JohnnyFootball:Heis-manTrophywinner. Itjust seems tofit sowell

thatmanyof us are alreadyresigned to the fact that itwillhappen.Everyone for the past two

weekshas been saying thatTexasA&M’s JohnnyManzielshould andwillwin theHeis-man.ComeSundaymorning,more than likelywe’ll be livingit.We’ll havecollege foot-ball’smostoutstandingplayer, thefirst fresh-man towinthe award,andwe’llall reap thebenefits.Themagi-cal journeythatTexasA&Mhasbeenonsince the football teamreportedto fall campwill enjoy its finalrush, likenone anyof ushaveexperienced.Now itwon’t be thefirst time

Aggieland’s had aHeismanwinner, thanks to JohnDavidCrowgrabbing thehonor in1957. But for years,maybe evendecades,wedidn’t knowhowfortunate itwas thatCrowwonit, becoming the only playerto do so for legendary coachPaul “Bear”Bryant. For some,it took abookandamovie toappreciatewhat the JunctionBoys did, aswell aswhatCrowaccomplished.Hewasbiggerthan life as a player, and as theHeismanTrophyhas gained inpopularity, Crow’s legacy seem-inglyhas been cherishedmoreandmore eachyear.Crowhasbeena great ambas-

sador for theuniversity andallAggies formore thanfivede-cades. Like afinewine, Crow’sfeat has gottenbetterwith age.You can’t ask for a better guy towearmaroon from the get-go,but backwhenCrowwon it, alot of people didn’t evenknowabout it until thenext day, oreven thenextweek. Those daysare gone.

Last year, 4.6million peoplewatched theHeismanTrophypresentation. Thanks to socialmedia,millionsmorewill knowif JohnnyFootball becomes theking of college football, fromKerrville toKiev and every-where in between.TheHeismanhypehashigh-

lighted one of themost remark-able seasons in school history,andhelped to define it. If Man-zielwins, he’ll be the face of theprogram for years, just asCrowhas been. It’s an addedbonusthatManziel’s only a redshirtfreshman.He’ll be back.Ahugedifference between

whenCrowwon it andnowis the visibility that comes tothe player and the school. ThepublicityA&Mhas receivedthisweekwill bemultipliedin decades to comebecauseof Manziel. Just think of howmany times you’veheard an-nouncers this year comparehim toFlorida’s TimTebowandAuburn’sCamNewton. Soon,futureHeismanhopefulswillbe compared toManziel.Mostof themwill fall by thewayside,butwhat alwayswill remain isManziel,who could put an ex-clamationpoint on the seasonbywinning theHeisman.This seasonalreadyhas been

written and talked about overandover, but if Manziel addsthat coveted trophy, the story

will never get old. Journalistsand fans alwayswill be tryingtofindabetterway to do justiceto the season thatwas,whichwill be almost impossible. Thefactswill sufficewhenyou’retalking about the country’s bestplayer, playinghis first seasoninA&M’sfirst year in the coun-try’s best conference. That’stough to top, but itwill be funtrying.And if AlabamabeatsNotre

Dame, as expected,Manziel andtheAggieswill havehanded thenational champions their onlyloss.Somany eventswere special

on their own.Together, it’s kindof mind-boggling.R.C. Slocum, the school’s

winningest coach,was inductedintoCollegeFootball’sHall ofFameonTuesdaynight.Hehadmanymemorable Saturdays atKyleField, andwon four confer-ence championships.His teamsin the 1990s lost only fourhomegames.Yet he gets giddy talking

aboutwhat’s happeningnow.“It’s been a funyear,” he

said. “I told someone thisweek—and I reallymean this, andI’ve beenhere 40 years now, in-volveddirectly 30 as a coach—and thiswas themost enjoyableseason that I’ve experienced.And that’s saying a lot, becausewehad someyears thatwereverymeaningful at the time. It’sjust been a funyear. Even thetwogameswe lost, itwas rightdown to the last series of thegame,what the outcomewasgoing to be.Ourplayers appearto behaving fun, and certainlyour fanswere. To see the excite-ment of the players and thefans, it’s just great. It’s awe-some, and it’s not over yet.”True, it’s just beginning.Kyle

Fieldwill soonbe renovated,so something goodwill getevenbetter.Andwhat JohnnyFootball and the teamhavedone this seasonwill drawevenbetter players. You canbet somewhere, there’s a juniorhighplayer or aPopWarnerfootballerwhobelieveshewillbe thefirst true freshman towin theHeisman.And there’snobetter place for that to hap-pen thanTexasA&M.After all,remember 2012?Howcouldwe forget.

z RobertCessna’semailaddress [email protected].

CONTENTS

Page 4: Aggie quarterbacks examine Johnny Manziel’s record-settingseason

Page 5: Former A&M coach Mike Sherman looks back at Manziel’srecruitment

Page 6: Follow Manziel’s history, from recruiting to the Heisman, onour timeline

Page 8: Bucky Richardson shares his thoughts on the Aggies’ star

Page 9: Former A&M assistant coach Tom Rossley discusses watchingManziel in high school and the recruiting process

Page 10: Manziel’s grandfather talks Johnny’s athletic feats

Page 13: A&M’s lone Heisman winner, John David Crow, reflects onwhat the award means to him

Page 14: Check out some of the best photos of Manziel in action

Page 16: Sweet Home Kerrville — the Hill Country town celebratesManziel’s successes

Page 18: The Eagle ranks Manziel’s top 10 plays of the season

Page 20: Heisman voters sound off; Twitter buzzes with hype

Page 22: The competition: Manti Te’o and Collin Klein

Page 24: The 77 Heisman Trophy winners

One for the recordbooks

•The 78th annual HeismanMemorial Trophy will beawarded Saturday at 7 p.m.on ESPN.

•Check aggiesports.comand follow @aggiesports onTwitter for updates from NewYork City.

By RoBeRtCessna

Johnny Manzielscrambles out of thepocket against SamHouston.

Eagle photo byStuart Villanueva

Eagle photo by Stuart Villanueva

The Eagleaggiesports.com

Crystal Dupré, publisherKelly Brown, editor

EDITORIALRob Clark, projects editor

Robert Cessna, executive sports editor

ADVERTISINGRon Prince,

director of sales and marketingJoanne R. Patranella,

display advertising managerJim Bob McKown,

creative services managerDawn Goodall,

special section coordinator

DESIGNERSClaire HeathmanRobert Premeaux

Kim White

REPORTERSLarry Bowen

Richard CroomeDavid HarrisAllen Reed

Cassie Smith

Cover photo: Johnny Manziel poses atKyle Field. Eagle photo by Stuart Vil-lanueva.

Advertising: 979-731-4738Sports: 979-731-4638Newsroom: 979-731-4656

JohnnyManziel headlines a remarkable year for Aggie football

Friday, December 7, 2012 D3Johnny Manziel: Road to theheiSMantheeagle.com • aggiesports.com

Member FDICwww.banktbt.com

B/CSEagle/C

opyrigh

t©2012.A

llRigh

tsReserved

.12/12

LOCAL BANK. LOCAL BANKERS.

Local bank. Local bankers.L to R: Joe Salvato - ‘77, Melanie Motley - ‘91, Mike Holmgreen - ‘77, Tim Bryan - 72, Jerry Fox - ‘81, Cal McNeill - ‘85, Brian Bowers - ‘02

Proudly supporting Aggieland.When it comes to understanding this community, no one comes close to our experienced team of bankers. As the largest,locally owned independent community bank in the Brazos Valley, The Bank & Trust is proud to call Aggieland our home.

After all, some of us are former Aggies!

MARK FARRIS (1999-2002)Thoughts on Johnny: “He does stuff that, I’ve been watching football

for 30 years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody do it. The first couplegames, I was thinking, ‘This guy’s crazy,

there is no way he can last.’ If he can stayhealthy, he’ll be pretty hard to stop. It’spretty amazing.”

On his improvement: “Honestly, Icouldn’t see it working in the SEC.He looked great in the first halfagainst Florida but they slowed himdown. There were a lot of naysay-ers. I would have said that can’twork in the SEC. The athletes aretoo good, he’s too small. I’m sure

he’s tired of hearing it. All that stuffhas come together for him to make it

work. He’s done it for 12 games now.”Should he win the Heisman? “Him be-

ing the freshman is the silliest thing I’veheard. To me, it makes it more impressive. He’s the most valuable play-er in college football. To say it isn’t him, you take him off the team, theydon’t win 10 games or close to it and that’s the definition of valuable. Ifhe doesn’t win it, they should stop giving the award.”

JEFF GRANGER (1991-1992)Thoughts on Johnny: “Everything I’ve seen

has been amazing. As a former quarterback,he exceeded any expectations I had for notonly the position but for the team as well.”

On Johnny’s improvising: “It’s very hardto do unless you’re a gifted athlete andobviously he is. I would imagine that hedoesn’t have to think that much when itcomes to it, he probably is thinking, ‘Let’smake a play, let’s score a touchdown.’ He’s agreat athlete. I enjoy watching him play and see-ing what will happen next.”

Should he win the Heisman? “He should bethe second Heisman Trophy winner from A&M. Noquestion, hands down. I’m concerned about the un-written rules about the freshmen. If I had a vote, I’d vote Manziel 1,2,3.”

GARY KUBIAK(1979-1982)

Thoughts on Johnny:“I got a chance to seehim last week firsthand[against Missouri] andI left very impressed.The way he was able tolead his team, and hisrun-pass combination, isa trait you don’t see from

freshmen. He has a brightfuture in Aggieland.”

JERROD JOHNSON (2007-2010)Thoughts on Johnny: “I’ve been impressed with the fact that

somebody as young as him has handled this. He’s talented, in agreat system and all that, but not to have a letdownfrom week to week, that’s impressive. Sometimesit’s up and down for a young quarterback. Forhim to string out 12 weeks of focus and play thecompetition he has, it speaks about him as aperson.”

On Manziel eventually breaking his records:“For me, I’m OK with that. If he’s doing that,they’re winning. To see A&M do well, I’ll neverfault that. It’s good for A&M. The exposure willbe huge for us. As long as the university isgetting the credit it deserves, I’m OK if all myrecords get broken.”

Should he win the Heisman? “I think he should.The stats, the numbers, there is nobody else youcould give it to. I don’t see anybody else. To me, youhave to win the Heisman and he went out and won it.”

MIKE MOSLEY (1978-1980)Thoughts on Johnny: “He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. You don’t

step on a team that goes 6-6 and justturn the team around. He’s as goodas I’ve ever seen, especially being soyoung and taking charge and playing

against some of the best teamsin the country and showing nopanic. He’s the best quarter-back to ever play at A&M, ifnot for the state of Texas.”

Should he win the Heis-man? “There’s no doubt. If

you’re picking the best player incollege football, there’s no doubt.

Who cares that he lost two games?Manti Te’o is a good player, but I’ll take

my 4,600 total yards over a few tackles and a few interceptions. Whenyou’re beating Tim Tebow and Cam Newton’s records, that’s obvious.”

STEPHEN MCGEE(2005-2008)

Thoughts on Johnny:“Johnny Football

has elevatedthe play of notjust the offense

but the entireTexas A&M team. He competes, scores TDs

and finds ways to win. He embodies what a foot-ball player should be. There isn’t a better playeror candidate for the Heisman Trophy.”

CHARLIE MILSTEAD (1958-1960)Thoughts on Johnny: “I think it’s fantastic. He’s

added a lot to the program. We’re lucky to have him.It’s unbelievable what he can do as a freshmanquarterback. He can’t do anything but get better,and I don’t know how he can get better.”

On his improvement: “It’s been amazing howquickly he’s adapted to the program and how quick-ly he’s matured as a quarterback.”

Should he win the Heisman?“There’s never been a freshman to winthe Heisman and I don’t think I canspeak to that because I’ve never beenin the running for it. I would think thebest player in the country ought to get itand I think he’s one of thebest in the country.”

REGGIE MCNEAL(2002-2005)

Thoughts on Johnny:“He’s an exciting playerthat’s fun to watch. Everygame, he’s going to giveyou something exciting tolook forward to. Watching himplay is like nothing else. It’s clear cutwho is the best player in the country.”

On his improvement: “He’s improvedimmensely. At the beginning, he playedthe game like a high school player— whenever he hit the panic button,it was time to scramble. Watchinghim go throughout the year, you couldsee he started trusting his O-line a lotmore. Being able to go through hisreads and looking more comfortablein the pocket. It was rare he’d sit inthe pocket. At first, it was scramble,scramble, run. Then it was scram-ble, keep your eyes up and, boom,

people pop open. Everybody I’ve ever spoken to, that’s a headache tothe defense. You do everything right, but because that quarterback isan athlete, it’s a matchup problem.”

Should he win the Heisman? “Of course, man. They need to get offthe freshman bias. Mark Ingram won and he was younger than Johnnywas. To me, watching football and looking at football, Te’o is a greatstory and a great player and I understand that. But when you have a

quarterback making plays like Johnny has,it’s hard to give it to anybody else. If John-

ny doesn’t win it, that’s a robbery.”

KEVIN MURRAY(1983-1986)

Thoughts on Johnny: “It’s prettyapparent he moves better than

most. I watched the first conferencegame live and the thing I’ve noticedthat has impressed me most ishow Kliff [Kingsbury] and [Kevin]

Sumlin have coached him into go-ing through his progressions, hangingin there more and not being soquick to get out when the bullets

start flying. He’s just a freshmanand still has a ways to go,as to holding hiswater in the pock-

et. I thought thatgame, particularly in

the second half, some things downthe field he didn’t take advantage of,

and that’s part of the maturity process, be-ing thrust into the situation.”

On his improvising skills: “There’s noquestion about it, his feet are secondto none. They’re absolutely amazing,

his escapability, the things he doesin terms of extending plays, it drives people crazy.Nobody realizes how fast he is until gameday andyou can’t simulate the speed in which he plays thegame. Is he reckless? Yes. Unorthodox? Yes. Butdoes he get it done? The numbers speak for themselves.”

Should he win the Heisman? “Of course. You have to give it tohim. It has his name on it, and it’s a travesty if he doesn’t get it.”

DAVID WALKER (1974-1977)Thoughts on Johnny: “You can’t stop this offense and you can’t

stop the guy who is running it. This is the best A&M’s ever had. There’sno question. He’s just a combination of so many, that makes him so

unique, you can’t put a finger onwho he’s like. He’s creating hisown persona of what a space-age,new millennium quarterback canlook like. He’s just fabulous inevery phase of the game. I don’tthink we could have a better

guy leading our program. AndJohnny’s going to take us tobrand new heights. My gosh,for three more years, if hestays healthy, and everythingstays together, he’s going to

be one amazing kid who walksaway with every record there is

known to man.”Should he win the Heisman?

“There’s no doubt. If I had a vote, he’d win theHeisman, hands down. I’m kicking myself in the

butt for not going to Vegas earlier this year.He’s had the Heisman moments and he’shad them against the very best.”

BUCKYRICHARDSON(1987-1991)

Thoughts on Johnny:“I was like everyone else — thebig questions going into this sea-son were: How would Johnny play?How would he respond? How wouldhe handle things? Obviously, he’s progressed since the first game ofthe year against Florida until the last game of the year against Mis-souri. We’ve all watched his improvement and watched him grow.

“He’s a special kid and these kinds of kids can’t be found every-where. It’s about how he handles each moment, each game, each thirddown, each close game. This kind of special doesn’t come around thatoften. I’m grateful he has an A&M jersey on.”

Should he win the Heisman? “If he doesn’t win it – it’ll be for politi-cal reasons. He’s clearly been the best player in college football thisyear. I went to Texas A&M and, of course, I’m biased, but I really don’tknow who else you would give it to. I’d be the first one to tell you that if

there was someone else out there who deserved it,give it to that athlete. But I think it’s clear: Johnnyshould win it. He’s earned it.”

RYAN TANNEHILL (2008-2011)Thoughts on Johnny: “He’s done a great job

this year. He’s an exciting player to watch, hebrings a lot of excitement to A&M, and he’s

won a lot of football games. He went intoAlabama and won on the

road against the No.1 ranked team in thecountry. You can’t say

enough about his compet-itiveness and the way he plays.

And he’s put up an insane amount of yards and crazy numbers,so I hope he wins the Heisman.”

EDD HARGETT (1966-1968)Thoughts on Johnny: “The best I’ve seen in a long,

long time. I’ve been to the home games. He’s beenoutstanding. He just has that feel for the game.When he’s in trouble, he knows how to get out andget away. If you don’t have that instinct, you won’t bea very good quarterback. There aren’t many peoplethat can do it like he can. The good ones, they may

not be able to run, but they can move in the pocket.Should he win the Heisman? “I don’t think there’s

anybody better than he is.”

BRANNDON STEWART (1995-1998)Thoughts on Johnny: “He’s just really fun to watch. It’s obvious the

team builds on the confidence and excitement he brings to the game,the fans build off it. Any time you have someone like that that makessuch a positive impact, it’s the same with any standout athlete like[Michael] Jordan or [Joe] Montana. Any time they’re on the field, theymake big plays, the team feels more confident. You can’t beat having aguy like that on your team. When you have those guys, you have to takeadvantage of it.”

On his improvement: “Thecoaches he has, [Kevin] Sumlinand [Kliff] Kingsbury, have donea fantastic job of not cripplinghim in any way. They’ve gothim confident in what he’sdoing. They don’t tell him toslide or not run, they tell himto do what he does. They’vetailored what they’re doingto take advantage of whathe’s good at.”

Should he win the Heis-man? “Absolutely, it’s not evena question. That’s like sayingshould Abraham Lincolnwin a re-election?”

BUCKY BUCKY

JohnnyFootball’s forefathers:By DAVID HARRIS

[email protected]

JohnnyManziel is a prime example ofthe evolution of the quarterback posi-tion at Texas A&M.

Prior to 1960, football was mainly aground game. When Edd Hargett took overas quarterback in 1966, the Aggies took tothe air. Hargett threw for 5,379 yards duringhis three-year career. He was the first truepassing quarterback in Aggieland.

Emory Bellard implemented the wish-bone offense in the ’70s, relying more onrunning quarterbacks. In stepped playerssuch as David Walker and Mike Mosley,who possessed the athleticism of skill play-

ers. During the 1980s, Gary Kubiak andKevin Murray were true pocket passers,and Murray became the most decoratedpasser in the school’s history. FollowingMurray, Bucky Richardson provided tough-ness and leadership to the position.

In the early 2000s, Reggie McNeal andStephen McGee, both heralded dual-threatrecruits, put up sizeable rushing and pass-ing numbers. When Mike Sherman tookover as coach in 2008, the Aggies turnedto an uptempo, pass-heavy offense. JerrodJohnson rewrote the A&M record books,throwing for more than 3,200 yards in 2009.Two seasons later, Ryan Tannehill brokethe same record, throwing for more than3,700 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Manziel isn’t exclusively a running orpassing quarterback. He’s shown, in ac-cumulating 3,419 passing yards and 1,181rushing yards, that he can do it all.The redshirt freshman had the great-

est statistical season in A&M— and SEC— history. With the quarterback primedto become the school’s second HeismanTrophy winner, we asked 14 former A&Mquarterbacks about Manziel’s accom-plishments. The overwhelmingsentiment is that Manziel will godown as the greatest quarterbackto have ever played at A&M andthat he should hoist the Heismanhardware on Saturday in NewYork City.

for 30 years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody do it. The first couple games, I was thinking, ‘This guy’s crazy,

there is no way he can last.’ If he can stay healthy, he’ll be pretty hard to stop. It’s pretty amazing.”

On his improvement:couldn’t see it working in the SEC. He looked great in the first half against Florida but they slowed him down. There were a lot of naysay-ers. I would have said that can’t work in the SEC. The athletes are too good, he’s too small. I’m sure

he’s tired of hearing it. All that stuff has come together for him to make it

work. He’s done it for 12 games now.”Should he win the Heisman?

REGGIE MCNEAL

look forward to. Watching him play is like nothing else. It’s clear cut who is the best player in the country.”

“He’s improved immensely. At the beginning, he played the game like a high school player — whenever he hit the panic button, it was time to scramble. Watching him go throughout the year, you could see he started trusting his O-line a lot more. Being able to go through his reads and looking more comfortable in the pocket. It was rare he’d sit in the pocket. At first, it was scramble, scramble, run. Then it was scram-

BUCKY RICHARDSON (1987-1991)

BUCKY BUCKY

(1983-1986)Thoughts on Johnny: “It’s pretty

apparent he moves better than most. I watched the first conference

game live and the thing I’ve noticed that has impressed me most is how Kliff [Kingsbury] and [Kevin]

Sumlin have coached him into go-ing through his progressions, hanging in there more and not being so quick to get out when the bullets

start flying. He’s just a freshman and still has a ways to go,

the second half, some things down the field he didn’t take advantage of,

there was someone else out there who deserved it, give it to that athlete. But I think it’s clear: Johnny should win it. He’s earned it.”

RYAN TANNEHILL Thoughts on Johnny: “He’s done a great job

this year. He’s an exciting player to watch, he brings a lot of excitement to A&M, and he’s

won a lot of football games. He went into Alabama and won on the

enough about his compet-itiveness and the way he plays.

And he’s put up an insane amount of yards and crazy numbers, so I hope he wins the Heisman.”

RICHARDSON (1987-1991)

Thoughts on Johnny: “I was like everyone else — the big questions going into this sea-son were: How would Johnny play?

FormerA&MQBsweigh inonManziel’s talent,Heismanchances

[Michael] Jordan or [Joe] Montana. Any time they’re on the field, they make big plays, the team feels more confident. You can’t beat having a guy like that on your team. When you have those guys, you have to take

“The coaches he has, [Kevin] Sumlin and [Kliff] Kingsbury, have done a fantastic job of not crippling him in any way. They’ve got him confident in what he’s doing. They don’t tell him to slide or not run, they tell him to do what he does. They’ve tailored what they’re doing to take advantage of what

Should he win the Heis-“Absolutely, it’s not even

a question. That’s like saying

you’re picking the best player in college football, there’s no doubt.

Who cares that he lost two games? Manti Te’o is a good player, but I’ll take

my 4,600 total yards over a few tackles and a few interceptions. When you’re beating Tim Tebow and Cam Newton’s records, that’s obvious.”

STEPHEN MCGEE

Thoughts on Johnny: “Johnny Football

has elevated the play of not just the offense

but the entire Texas A&M team. He competes, scores TDs

and finds ways to win. He embodies what a foot-ball player should be. There isn’t a better player or candidate for the Heisman Trophy.”

unique, you can’t put a finger on who he’s like. He’s creating his own persona of what a space-age, new millennium quarterback can look like. He’s just fabulous in every phase of the game. I don’t think we could have a better

guy leading our program. And Johnny’s going to take us to brand new heights. My gosh, for three more years, if he stays healthy, and everything stays together, he’s going to

be one amazing kid who walks away with every record there is

known to man.”Should he win the Heisman?

“There’s no doubt. If I had a vote, he’d win the Heisman, hands down. I’m kicking myself in the

butt for not going to Vegas earlier this year. He’s had the Heisman moments and he’s had them against the very best.”

the field he didn’t take advantage of, and that’s part of the maturity process, be-

“There’s no question about it, his feet are second

does he get it done? The numbers speak for themselves.” “Of course. You have to give it to

him. It has his name on it, and it’s a travesty if he doesn’t get it.”

EDD HARGETT long time. I’ve been to the home games. He’s been

Should he win the Heisman? anybody better than he is.”

the second half, some things down the field he didn’t take advantage of,

so I hope he wins the Heisman.”

written rules about the freshmen. If I had a vote, I’d vote Manziel 1,2,3.”

GARY KUBIAK (1979-1982)

Thoughts on Johnny: “I got a chance to see him last week firsthand [against Missouri] and I left very impressed. The way he was able to lead his team, and his run-pass combination, is a trait you don’t see from

freshmen. He has a bright future in Aggieland.”

don’t win 10 games or close to it and that’s the definition of valuable. If he doesn’t win it, they should stop giving the award.”

(1991-1992)“Everything I’ve seen

has been amazing. As a former quarterback, he exceeded any expectations I had for not

make a play, let’s score a touchdown.’ He’s a great athlete. I enjoy watching him play and see-

“He should be the second Heisman Trophy winner from A&M. No

“He’s an exciting player that’s fun to watch. Every game, he’s going to give you something exciting to look forward to. Watching him play is like nothing else. It’s clear cut who is the best player in the country.”

immensely. At the beginning, he played the game like a high school player — whenever he hit the panic button,

him go throughout the year, you could see he started trusting his O-line a lot

STEPHEN MCGEE (2005-2008)

Thoughts on Johnny: “Johnny Football

the play of not just the offense

but the entire Texas A&M team. He competes, scores TDs

and finds ways to win. He embodies what a foot-ball player should be. There isn’t a better player or candidate for the Heisman Trophy.”

added a lot to the program. We’re lucky to have him. It’s unbelievable what he can do as a freshman quarterback. He can’t do anything but get better, and I don’t know how he can get better.”

“It’s been amazing how quickly he’s adapted to the program and how quick-

“There’s never been a freshman to win

speak to that because I’ve never been

best player in the country ought to get it

Thoughts on Johnny: “He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. You don’t step on a team that goes 6-6 and just

turn the team around. He’s as good as I’ve ever seen, especially being so young and taking charge and playing

against some of the best teams in the country and showing no panic. He’s the best quarter-back to ever play at A&M, if not for the state of Texas.”

Should he win the Heis-man?

you’re picking the best player in college football, there’s no doubt.

“I got a chance to see him last week firsthand [against Missouri] and I left very impressed. The way he was able to lead his team, and his run-pass combination, is a trait you don’t see from

freshmen. He has a bright

somebody as young as him has handled this. He’s talented, in a

story and a great player and I understand that. But when you have a quarterback making plays like Johnny has,

it’s hard to give it to anybody else. If John-ny doesn’t win it, that’s a robbery.”

apparent he moves better than most. I watched the first conference

game live and the thing I’ve noticed that has impressed me most is how Kliff [Kingsbury] and [Kevin]

Sumlin have coached him into go-ing through his progressions, hanging in there more and not being so quick to get out when the bullets

start flying. He’s just a freshman and still has a ways to go, as to holding his water in the pock-

great system and all that, but not to have a letdown from week to week, that’s impressive. Sometimes it’s up and down for a young quarterback. For him to string out 12 weeks of focus and play the competition he has, it speaks about him as a

On Manziel eventually breaking his records: “For me, I’m OK with that. If he’s doing that, they’re winning. To see A&M do well, I’ll never fault that. It’s good for A&M. The exposure will

getting the credit it deserves, I’m OK if all my

“I think he should. The stats, the numbers, there is nobody else you could give it to. I don’t see anybody else. To me, you have to win the Heisman and he went out and won it.”

water in the pock-et. I thought that

game, particularly in the second half, some things down the field he didn’t take advantage of,

and that’s part of the maturity process, be-ing thrust into the situation.”

On his improvising skills: question about it, his feet are second to none. They’re absolutely amazing,

how Kliff [Kingsbury] and [Kevin] Sumlin have coached him into go-

ing through his progressions, hanging in there more and not being so quick to get out when the bullets

start flying. He’s just a freshman and still has a ways to go, as to holding his water in the pock-

Kubiak, Mosley, Milstead,Murray, Hargett andWalker photoscourtesy of the Cushing MemorialLibrary.All others are AP and Eagle

file photos.

D4 Friday, December 7, 2012JOHNNY MANZIEL: ROAD TO THEHEISMANtheeagle.com • aggiesports.com

• John Kimbrough (1940): “Jarrin’ John”finished second. The winner: Tom Harmon,running back for Michigan. Kimbrough alsowon the Southwest region in 1939.Stats: 611 yards rushing with seventouchdowns. Intercepted five passes ondefense.

• Derace Moser (1941): The running backwon the Southwest region vote, accordingto the Heisman website, but is not listedin the top 10. The winner: Bruce Smith,running back for Minnesota.

• John David Crow (1957): Won the HeismanTrophy with 1,183 votes, over Alex Karras,defensive tackle for Iowa, with 693 votes.Stats: Rushed 129 times for 562 yardsand six touchdowns. Passed for fivetouchdowns, and on defense made fiveinterceptions. Kicked one extra point.

• Darren Lewis (1990): The running backfinished ninth. The winner: Ty Detmer,quarterback for BYU.Stats: Rushed 291 times for 1,691 yardsand 18 touchdowns. Had nine 100-yardgames and two 200-yard games.

• Bucky Richardson (1991): The Aggies’quarterback finished 10th. The winner:Desmond Howard, receiver/returner forMichigan.Stats: 79 completions in 156 attemptsfor 1,492 yards, eight touchdowns and 10interceptions. 103 rushes for 448 yardsand 10 touchdowns.

Texas A&M player historyin Heisman Trophy voting

ExTrA poinTs

Courtesy of Cushing Memorial Library

By ROBERT [email protected]

FormerTexasA&Mfootball coachMike Sherman said the day after hewas fired in 2011 that he’d help thenextcoach in“anywayIcanbecauseI want to see A&Mbe successful.”Little did everyone know he al-

ready hadmadea huge contri-bution by sign-i n g JohnnyManziel, whohad pledgedto Oregon andheadcoachChipKelly until Sherman and senior as-sistantandquarterbackscoachTomRossley convinced the recruit he’dlook better in maroon. With Man-ziel now the frontrunner to win theHeismanTrophy, inretrospect itwasquite a recruiting coup.“Chipmaynevertalktomeagain,”

saidSherman, explaininghowMan-zielhandledhischangeof heart. “Hereally respected coachKelly, andbe-fore he could commit to me, he saidhe’dhave to call coachKelly.He saidI’d have to wait. It was such a classyway for him to handle it.”Sherman didn’t start recruiting

Manziel until his junior season.“Tom Rossley recruited the San

Antonio area and he brought tapebackof himandwesatdowntowatchit,” Sherman said. “I said, ‘Is it gametape?’ because I don’t like to watchhighlight tape. He said, ‘Yeah, it’sgame tape.’“Iwatchedthetapeandhe’s throw-

ing touchdowns, running around,doing everything he can to win thefootball game.”Sherman was impressed, but de-

cidedA&Mneeded towait toseehowManziel looked the following year.“Then his senior year, the same

thing happens,” Sherman said. “Hestarts out in his first four ballgamesandhe just lights itup,beating teamsinSanAntonio thatare twice thesizeof his school.Hewas justputting theteam on his back and winning thegame. Theywon games that they re-allyhadnoright towin,but theywonthem anyway.”Shermanwas sold onManziel.“I always think a great quarter-

back is someone who makes every-body around him a little bit better,”Shermansaid.“Ialways felt thatway

with [Brett] Favre, Ithoughthemadepeo-plearoundhimbetter.I think Johnny doesthe same thing. Hemakes people aroundhim better.”Sherman said he

wasn’t comparingFa-vre, who he coachedinGreenBay, toMan-ziel. But when Sher-man met Manziel forthe first time, he no-ticed a physical traitthat both share.“I wanted to meet

him face-to-face [before offeringa scholarship] and when I did andshookhishand,hehadahugehand,”Sherman said. “The only hand I’veever shook like that, I think, wasFavre. He had a size-10-somethinghand, and Johnny’s hands are justbig, bighands.Andasaquarterbackyou like big hands because you canthrow the ball a little bit betterwiththe stripes.”It didn’t take long for Sherman to

see the recruit close up, as Manzielgraduated high school early, whichallowed him to enroll at A&M inJanuary2010and takepart in spring

drills. Sherman said that was a plusforManziel, as it is foranyfreshman.“Just the transition from high

school to college, the academics andthenewenvironment,”hesaid.“Hav-ing a comfort level in that environ-ment, I think that plays a big role inletting a guy have some success.”Since Manziel never played in

games during the 2011 season it washard to measure his development,thoughShermanwasimpressedwithManziel’s lateralquickness fromthestart.“Hedidsomethings[inspringball]

but thenonceyouget into theseason,

he’snot reallyworkinga lotwith theones or the twos, because he’s beingredshirted,” Sherman said. “So he’snot even in those situations thatmuch. But just watching him on thesides when Tom would do quarter-back drills, I thought his footworkand hismechanics improved.”Sherman often didn’t see what

Manziel did last season at practice,but he heard it.“During the season, we’d always

scrimmage the young guys on theother field,” Sherman said. “He’dbe over there. I was always with theones and Tom was over there withthe backups and the twos, trying todevelop our team. And I’d hear a lotof hooping and hollering because[Manziel] made some plays, want-ing to beat the defense. He’s a heckof an athlete.”Sherman, now offensive coordina-

tor for the Miami Dolphins, said hehasn’twatchedanAggiegamethissea-sonbuthehasseenManzielhighlights.“I think the coaches have done

a great job with him with his deci-sion-making,” Sherman said. “He’salways been a phenomenal athlete.He throws rockets, he’s always beenable to do that. I think they’ve reallyhelped calm him down in his deci-sion-making. I think coach [Kevin]Sumlin and coach [Kliff] Kingsburyhavedoneagreat jobof workingwithhim andmolding him.”

Sherman looksback toManziel’s early days

Eagle photos by Stuart VillanuevaMike sherman and Tom rossley brought Johnny Manziel to A&M in 2010.

InsideSeemore aboutManziel’s recruiting inour interviewwithTomRossley /D9

John Kimbrough

“I always think a great

quarterback is someonewho

makes everybody around him

a little bit better. I always felt

that waywith [Brett] Favre,

I thought hemade people

around him better. I think

Johnny does the same thing.

Hemakes people

around him

better.”mike Sherman

Former A&Mhead coach


After 48 Years...Going Out Of Business!

SAVE UP TO 70% OFF

NOW 10% OFF

From all of us at

1-888-53-CARES

Dec. 13, 2008Johnny Manziel’s sophomore season

at Kerrville Tivy High School ends in a31-28 loss to Dayton in the Class 4A-Division 2 semifinals in Georgetown. Forthe season, he rushed for 835 yards on123 carrieswith 15 touchdowns. Hewas74-of-120 passing for 1,109 yards with11 touchdowns and five interceptions.Tivy went 12-3.

Dec. 12, 2009Manziel’s junior season ends with a

31-21 loss to Brenham in the Class4A-Division 2 semifinals in Georgetown.For the season, he rushed for 1,529yards on 232 carries with 33 touch-downs for 9-5 Tivy. He was 211-of-349passing for 2,782 yards with 19 touch-downs and five interceptions. He alsohad five pass receptions for 159 yardsand two touchdowns. He was the SanAntonio Express-News’ offensive playerof the year and the paper’s athlete ofthe year.

Late 2009/early 2010Manziel was being recruited by some

schools as a wide receiver or defensiveback. “I don’t want to be known as a run-ning quarterback who can pass,” he toldthe Express-News. “I want to be knownas a passing quarterback who can run.”

June 27, 2010Manziel visits Stanford and Oregon

on a recruiting trip. Ducks coach ChipKelly offers a scholarship, and Manzielmakes an oral pledge to attend. Manzielsays he’d consider playing baseball forthe Ducks.

Aug. 30, 2010Texas A&M offers Manziel a scholar-

ship to play quarterback.

Sept. 3, 2010Manziel completes 41 of 75 passes

for 503 yards and four touchdowns ina 39-34 victory over San Antonio Madi-son. A&M assistants Tom Rossley andDat Nguyen are in attendance. The75 attempts were a state record.

Sept. 4-5, 2010Manziel makes an unofficial visit to

A&M, watching a 48-7 victory over Ste-phen F. Austin at Kyle Field.

Sept. 11-12, 2010Manziel and his parents make an un-

official visit to A&M and watch a 48-16victory over Louisiana Tech. A&M headcoachMikeShermanspends90minuteswith Manziel after the game.

Sept. 18-19, 2010Manziel makes another unofficial visit

to A&M and sees the Aggies hold offFlorida International, 27-20.

Sept. 20, 2010Manziel pledges to A&M, saying he

also may play baseball for the Aggies.“I think it’s a great fit,” Manziel told theSanAntonio Express-News. “The comfortlevel at A&M was great. On a scale of 1to 10, it was probably an 11. I couldn’thave gotten more comfortable with thecoaches,players and everybody else thepast three weeks. I’m excited about thisopportunity and feel very blessed.”

Nov. 5, 2010Manzielmakeshis official visit to A&M.

Nov. 19, 2010Manziel’s senior season at Tivy ends

with a 48-42 loss to Lake Travis at HeroStadium in San Antonio in the Class 4A-Division I second round of the playoffs.For the season,Manziel completed 228of 347passes for 3,609 yards,45 touch-downs and five interceptions. He rushedfor 1,695 yards on 171 carries with 30

touchdowns. He also caught a 22-yardtouchdown and had an 89-yard kickoffreturn for a touchdown. Tivy went 10-2.

Jan. 18, 2011After graduating from high school a

half year early, Manziel enrolls at A&Malong with linebacker Donnie Baggs andoffensive lineman JosephCheek.Manzielis redshirted for the2011season,mean-ing he’ll have four years of eligiblity left.Senior Ryan Tannehill’s backup is redshirtfreshman Jameill Showers,who appearsin four games, attempting five passesand nine carries.

April 28, 2012In the Maroon & White Game, Manziel

completes 13 of 27 passes for 154 yardswithatouchdownand interception.Manzielends his first drive with a 63-yard touch-down to Ryan Swope.

June 28, 2012Manziel is arrestedearly in themorning

after police said he was fighting. A policereport states that his friend aimed a ra-cial slur at a Northgate patron and a fightbroke out. The disorderly conduct by fight-ing charge is aClassCmisdemeanor andis pending in College Station MunicipalCourt. Class B misdemeanor charges offailure to identify and using a fake driver’slicensearepending incounty court.Casesare set for January.Manziel commentsonthe arrest in a November press confer-ence, saying, “It was something that was

a criticalmistake inmy life andsomethingthat I had to learn a lot from. It’s some-thing that had its consequences withcoach Sumlin, with my teammates andwith everybody here in Aggieland.”

Aug. 15, 2012Manziel is namedA&M’s starting quar-

terback over Showers. “Johnny has per-formed the best at this stage,andwewillproceeduntil the seasonopenerwith himgetting the first-team reps,” A&M headcoach Kevin Sumlin said in a press re-lease. “My policy is simple really: Thebest player plays.”

Sept. 8, 2012Manziel in his first start leads A&M to

a 17-10 halftime lead over Florida, butthe Gators rally for a 20-17 victory. Man-ziel goes 23-of-30 passing for 173 yardswith no touchdowns or interceptions. Herushes for 60 yards on 17 carries with an11-yard touchdown.Manziel was the firstfreshman quarterback to start A&M’sseason opener since 1944.

Sept. 15, 2012Manziel accounts for 418 yards, a

school record for a freshman,ina48-3 vic-tory over SMU. Manziel is 20-of-36 pass-ing for 294 yards with four touchdownsandadds124yards rushingon13carrieswith touchdown runs of 15 and 48 yards.

• As noted several thousand times in the pastmonth, Johnny Manziel would be the first red-shirt freshman to win the Heisman.

• The best any freshman has done in the voting:Adrian Peterson (second in2004),Michael Vick(third in 1999) and Herschel Walker (third in1980).

• Johnny Manziel would be the second Johnny towin the Heisman, joining Johnny Rodgers (Ne-braska, 1972). Other Johns to win: John Lujack(Notre Dame,1947), John Lattner (Notre Dame,1953), John David Crow (Texas A&M, 1957),John Huarte (Notre Dame,1964) and John Cap-pelletti (Penn State, 1973).

•Manziel would be the fourth player with a Z in hisname to win, joining Vic Janowicz (Ohio State,1950), Dick Kazmaier (Princeton, 1951) andMike Rozier (Nebraska, 1983).

• Manziel would be the 31st quarterback to win.Running backs have won it 41 times and widereceivers four times.

•Manziel would be the second player born in Tylerto win, along with Earl Campbell (1977).

• Manziel would be the eighth player from a Texasschool towin, joiningDavey O’Brien (TCU,1938),Doak Walker (SMU, 1948), John David Crow(A&M, 1957),Earl Campbell (Texas, 1977),An-dre Ware (Houston,1989),Ricky Williams (Tex-as, 1998) and Robert Griffin III (Baylor, 2011).

• Johnny Manziel’s nickname, Johnny Football,would rank among the best of Heisman win-ners. Other nicknames of note include “TheIron Horse” (Alan Ameche,1954),Howard “Ho-palong” Cassady (1955) and “The Tyler Rose”(Earl Campbell, 1977).

Where Johnny Manziel fallsin Heisman Trophy trivia

ExTrA poiNTS

Courtesy of University of Georgiasports communication

Special to The EagleJohnny Manziel didn’t just throw the ball forKerrvilleTivy.over his three seasonsat quarter-back, Manziel rushed for 4,059 yards.

Special to The EagleJohnny Manziel runs away from a Brenham defender in the 2009 Class 4A Division ii statesemifinals.

Timeline: FromTivy toHeisman

See TIMELINE, Page D7

HErscHELWaLkEr


Sept. 19, 2012Manziel tweets that he rescued a

kitten from the middle of WellbornRoad.

Sept. 29, 2012Manziel throws for a school-record

453yardsand three touchdowns ina58-10 victory over Arkansas at KyleField. Manziel rushes for 104 yardson 14 carries with a 6-yard touch-down run. His 557 total yards setsan SEC record, eclipsing 540 set byOle Miss’ Archie Manning in 1969and equaled by LSU’s Rohan Daveyin 2001.

Oct. 13, 2012Manziel accounts for six touch-

downs in a 59-57 victory over Louisi-ana Tech. He has 181 yards rushingon 19 carries, including touchdownruns of 2, 15 and 72 yards. He is24-of-40 passing for 395 yards andthree scores with an interception.

Oct. 20, 2012Manziel, theSEC’s leading rusher,

is held to 27 yards on17 carries in a24-19 loss to LSU. He gets sackedthree times and throws three in-terceptions. He completes 29 of56 passes for 276 yards, but notouchdowns.

Oct. 31, 2012Manziel dresses up as Scooby

Doo for Halloween, and assortedphotos become an instant hit onthe Internet.

Nov. 3, 2012After running for a touchdown in

a 38-13 victory at Mississippi State,Manziel strikes a Superman pose,which draws a 15-yard penalty. Man-ziel later says that one of the playershe admires is former Auburn quarter-back Cam Newton,who often strikesthe Superman pose after scoring.

Nov. 10, 2012Manziel’s elusiveness helps the

15th-ranked Aggies knock off top-ranked Alabama 29-24. Manzielrushes for 92 yards on 18 carriesand is 24-of-31 passing for 253yards with two touchdowns and nointerceptions. It was the secondtime in school history that A&Mdefeats a No. 1 team (Oklahoma,2002). The win lifts A&M from 15thin the BCS standings to eighth.

Nov. 16, 2012A&M’s athletic depar tment

launches heisman.aggieathletics.com featuringManziel,saying it isn’ta campaign for the Heisman Trophybut rather a source of informationfor fans and the media.

Nov. 17, 2012Manziel accounts for 367 yards in

a 47-28 victory over Sam HoustonState,setting several single-seasonrecords. He breaks the NCAA fresh-man quarterback rushing record of1,029 yards by Missouri’s BradSmith (2002) and the freshman re-cord for total offense of 3,827 yards

set in 2000 by Kentucky’s Jared Lo-renzen. He also becomes the fifthplayer and first freshman in FBShistory to pass for at least 3,000yards and run for at least 1,000 ina season.

Nov. 17, 2012Kansas State quarterback Col-

lin Klein, the frontrunner to win theHeisman Trophy, struggles in a 52-24 loss at Baylor. Klein throws threeinterceptionsandgets sacked twice.He rushed for only 39 yards on 17carries,whichallowsManziel to passhim in most Heisman pundit polls.

Nov. 19, 2012Manziel is named a finalist for

the Maxwell Award and the DaveyO’Brien Award. TheMaxwell goes tothe collegiate player of the year andthe O’Brien goes to the nation’s topquarterback.

Nov. 24, 2012Manziel gains 439 total yards in

a 59-29 victory over Missouri thatgives him an SEC-record 4,600yards for the season, topping the4,327 set by Auburn’s CamNewtonin 2010, the same year he won theHeisman Trophy. Manziel adds tworushing touchdowns, giving him 19for the season, to tie the school re-cord set by Joel Hunt in 1927 andmatched by Darren Lewis in 1990and Jorvorskie Lane in 2006.

Nov. 26, 2012Manziel makes his media debut

in a national teleconference that in-cludesmore than100 reporters andcolumnists, according to an A&Mofficial. Manziel didn’t talk to themedia during the season becauseSumlin doesn’t allow freshmen to beinterviewed. He answers questionsfor 55 minutes.

Nov. 27, 2012Manziel has his first face-to-face

press conference in A&M’s HagnerAuditorium, attracting 75 to 100 lo-cal and regional media members.

Much of the 30-minute event is car-ried on ESPN2.

Nov. 28, 2012Manziel is named a finalist for the

Manning Award, which goes to thenation’s top quarterback.

Nov. 30, 2012Manziel wins the 2012 Chic Har-

ley Award, presented by the Touch-down Club of Columbus (Ohio). Theonly other Aggie to win it was JohnDavid Crow in 1957,the year hewonthe Heisman.

Dec. 3, 2012Manziel is invited to the Heisman

Trophy presentation in NewYork Cityon Saturday,along with Notre Damelinebacker Manti Te’o and KansasState quarterback Collin Klein.

Dec. 3, 2012Manziel is a unanimous choice

for Associated Press’ SEC player ofthe year.

Eagle file photoTexas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel throws a pass against Arkansas duringthe Aggies’ 58-10 victory. Manziel set the SEC single-game record for total offensewith 557 yards, a mark he would eclipse two weeks later against Louisiana Tech.

Eagle file photoJohnny Manziel talks with teammates on the sideline during the third quarter ofA&M’s 59-29 victory over Missouri at Kyle Field on Nov.24.Manziel gained 439 yardsagainst the Tigers to set the SEC mark with 4,600 for the season.

AP file photoBaylor defensive end Chris McAllister sacks Kansas State quarterback Collin Kleinduring the third quarter of the Bears’ 52-24 victory over the Wildcats on Nov. 17 inWaco. Klein threw three interceptions in the loss.

TIMELINE:OnsamedayBaylor beatsKlein’sKSUWildcats,Manziel breaks recordsContinued fromD6


979.779.6417 • 506 SULPHUR SPRINGS • BRYAN • WWW.BUPPYS.COM

CHECK US OUT ONCHECK US OUT ON

There’s no placelike Buppy’s!like Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppylike Buppy

Don’’t miss the lastFirst Friday!

Gift Cards make the perfect gift!

ASK ABOUT OUR PARTY ROOM

Need a meeting place?

Dinner BuffetFIRST FRIDAY – SEAFOOD MADNESS

COME SEE THE CHANGE5PM – 8PM

10AM – 2PMSunday Brunch

VOTED #1 CATERER FOR

12 YEARS IN A ROW!

Catering

TUES – FRI • 10:30AM – 3PM

Lunch Buffet

LET US PREPARE YOUR FESTIVE MEALSWHILE YOU ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS

CALL FOR DETAILS

Holiday Planning

By KELLY [email protected]

For more than two decades,Bucky Richardson has carriedthe distinction of being themost famousTexasA&Mquar-terback—remembered fondly,revered by many.It’s been his name, playing

style and record that recentlyprompted a few comparisonst o A & M ’ ssurprise starJohnny Man-ziel. The red-shir t fresh-man led theAggies to a10-2 season,and is one ofthree finalistsfor the covetedHeisman Tro-phy.“Johnny is an impressive

player and individual,” saidRichardson,deflectingmentionof his days as a fan-favorite.“He’s so much fun to watch.”That’s a description many

coaches, teammates and fansonce assigned to Richardson.“I’vewalked inhis shoes,was

the quarterback there and hadsuccess early inmy career, butthatwas long ago,” the 43-year-old said in a telephone inter-view earlier this week while inNew York to watch his formerA&M coach, R.C. Slocum, beinducted into the College Foot-ball Hall of Fame. “Many goodplayers have come and gonesince. Johnny will stick outto all of us because he’s trulyremarkable. Look at what he’sdone in one season.”Responsible for 43 touch-

downs this fall, Manziel fin-ished regular-season playwith 3,419 passing yards and1,181 rushing yards. His totalyardage broke the SEC single-season record, which was setin 2010 by Auburn quarter-backandHeismanwinnerCamNewton that same year.Richardson—whoclosedhis

college career as the top rush-ing quarterback in Southwest

Conference history — was thelastA&Mquarterback tomakea first-team all-conference se-lection until Manziel this year.“Johnny’s just getting start-

ed, though,” he says. “JohnnyManziel, his teammates andCoach Kevin Sumlin have aspecial thing going and the fo-cus should be on that — theywent into the mighty SEC andjust kept winning.“What I love about hearing

this player talk is thefirst thingout of his mouth typically ishim focusing attention on histeammates. That’s a sign ofmaturity and truly what beinga team player is all about. I’msure that it’s a nice thing forhis teammates to hear — thathe couldn’t do all this withoutthem.”Advicehe could offer toMan-

ziel, who is 23 years his junior?“Hedoesn’t need any counsel

from me,” Richardson said.Some suggestions or lessons,

however, can be found in Rich-ardson’s reflections onhis ownrace for the Heisman. He is thelast Aggie to receive votes forthe award, finishing 10th in1991.“It’s a heck of a nice honor

just to be talked about in thesame breath as a Heismancontender, but it also makes

you continue to want to workhard and try to get better, notdisappoint,” he said. “I eventu-ally learned you can’t controleverything and there’s no rea-son to worry about what youcan’t control.”The father of three — who

lives in a Houston suburb andco-owns Environmental Im-provements, Inc., a water andwaste treatment plant — wasdrafted in the 8th round by theHouston Oilers after gradua-tion. His four-year stint in theNFL included playing with theDallas Cowboys and KansasCity Chiefs.

Conversations between thetwo haven’t drifted into thatarena just yet, though. Thepair met this season and havespokena few times, butnothingin-depth.“Maybe we’ll talk more in

the offseason,” Richardsonsaid. “I’m impressed with somany things about Johnny —not just that he’s a great playerwho can throw the ball, run itand always play with emotion,but he’s tough,mature and hasself-awareness. He’s handlingall this very well. It’ll be fun towatchwherehe goes fromhere.Go Johnny, go!”

Last Aggie nominatedweighs in

RichaRdson

PassinGschool comp att Yds Tds intFlorida 23 30 173 0 0sMU 20 36 294 4 0s. carolina st.15 20 174 3 0arkansas 29 38 453 3 0oleMiss 17 26 191 1 2La.Tech 24 40 395 3 1LsU 29 56 276 0 3auburn 16 23 260 2 0Miss. st. 30 36 311 0 0alabama 24 31 253 2 0shsU 14 20 267 3 1Missouri 32 44 372 3 1Totals 273 400 3419 24 8

RUshinGschool carries Yds TdFlorida 17 60 1sMU 13 124 2s. carolina st. 8 78 2arkansas 14 104 1oleMiss 20 129 1La.Tech 19 181 3LsU 17 27 0auburn 9 90 3Miss. state 21 129 1alabama 18 92 0shsU 16 100 2Missouri 12 67 2Totals 184 1,181 19

Manziel’sgame-by-game

statisticsfor 2012

Eagle file photosBucky Richardson was the last Aggie to receive votes for the Heisman Trophy. He finished 10th in 1991.


3600 S. College • Bryan979-846-3306

Open Sunday-Thursday 11:00 to 9:00Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 10:00

WE MAKE ‘EM ALL

IN AGGIELAND!CONGRATULATIONSON A GREAT SEASON!

TRADITIONS.LEGENDS.BURGERS.

Of dual-threat quarterbacks to win the Heismanin recent years, Manziel ranks second only to CamNewton in rushing yards and touchdowns.1. Cam Newton, 2010: 1,473 yards, 20

touchdowns.2. Johnny Manziel, 2012: 1,181 yards, 19

touchdowns.3. EricCrouch,2001:1,115yards,18touchdowns.4. Tim Tebow,2007: 895 yards, 23 touchdowns.5. Robert Griffin III, 2011: 699 yards, 10

touchdowns.

Of those quarterbacks in their Heisman-winningyears, here’s how Manziel rates in passing stats:1. Griffin III: 291 completions in 402 attempts

(72.4 percent completion rate) for 4,293 yards,37 touchdowns and six interceptions.

2. Manziel: 273-400 (68.3 percent) for 3,419yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

3. Tebow:234-350(66.9percent) for3,286yards,32 touchdowns and six interceptions.

4. Newton: 185-280 (66.1 percent) for 2,854yards,30 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

5. Crouch:105-189(55.6percent) for1510yards,seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Of pure pocket quarterbacks to win the Heismanin recent years, here’s how Manziel compares inpassing stats:1. Sam Bradford, 2008: 328 completions in

483 attempts (67.9 percent completion rate)for 4,720 yards, 50 touchdowns and eightinterceptions.

2. Jason White, 2003: 278-451 (61.6 percent)for 3,846 yards, 40 touchdowns and 10interceptions.

3. Manziel, 2012: 273-400 (68.3 percent)for 3,419 yards, 24 touchdowns and eightinterceptions.

4. Matt Leinart, 2004: 269-412 (65.3 percent)for 3,322 yards, 33 touchdowns and sixinterceptions.

5. Troy Smith, 2006: 203-311 (65.3 percent)for 2,542 yards, 30 touchdowns and sixinterceptions.

How Johnny Manziel stacks upagainst Heisman-winning QBs

Extra pointsFormerQBcoach recognizedManziel’s flairBy RICHARDCROOME

[email protected]

TomRossleypulledthestateof Tex-ascardonJohnnyManziel’sparents.“I kept telling mom and dad, ‘He’s

a legend in Texas. You don’t want tolet him leave Texas and be a legendsomewhere else,’” Rossley said.Rossleyhadsomecatchinguptodo,

though.Manzielhadalready orally com-mitted to Oregonthe June before hissenior year.By then,Manziel’s

story was beginningto spread. He ac-counted for 53 touch-downs as a junior,rushing for 1,529yards and throwingfor another 2,782. He led KerrvilleTivy to the Class 4A state semifinalsandwasnamedoffensiveplayerof theyearbytheSanAntonioExpress-News.Rossley, who recruited San An-

tonio and Central Texas during hisfour years as A&M’s senior assis-tant/quarterbackscoachunderheadcoach Mike Sherman, got Manziel’shighlight tape fromhis junior seasonand visited him in the spring of hisjunior year.“I went there to watch him throw,

and he was athletic, had a quick re-lease,” said Rossley, who coachedBrett Favre, WarrenMoon andMattHasselbeck. “He could plant his foot,didn’thavetoscrambleandwasaccu-rate,whichissomethingIdon’t thinkhegetsenoughcredit for. I told [Sher-man] afterwardwe had to get him.”Rossley believed the Aggies still

had an opportunity tomakeManzielchange his mind. He felt convincedthat the dual-threat quarterbackjumpedatOregoncoachChipKelly’soffer because Texas schools hadn’tshownmuch interest in him.Rossleyhadoneproblem:Manziel’s

loyalty.“It was hard for him because he is

such a high integrity guy,” Rossleysaid. “It was difficult for him to de-commit.”Rossley wasn’t about to give up on

the player he described as “the bestquarterbackIeverrecruited.”TheAg-giesofferedManzielascholarshipjustbefore the start of his senior season.Rossleytookthen-A&Minsideline-

backers coachDatNguyen to a Tivy-SanAntonioMadison game not longafter theA&Moffer.“Madison had a linebacker Dat

waskindof lookingat,”Rossleysaid.“TheywarmedupandyouwonderedhowtheKerrville teamhadachance.Madison had so many players. Oncethegamestarted[Manziel]worethemout, and by the end of the half theywere all dead. Datwas onmy side af-ter that.”Andby then, the three-star recruit

wasbeginningtoleantowardRossleyand theAggies.Manziel attended three straight

A&M football games in September,all unofficial visits.“Hekeptcomingwithhismomand

dad, and I’d be down there to meethim,” Rossley said. “When he keptcoming,Iknewwehadachancetofliphim. One of the last games he cameto, he had an Aggie T-shirt on, and Ithought, ‘Nowwe’re talking.’”Manziel switchedhis commitment

toA&Ma couple days later.During his senior season at Tivy

the legend grewwithManziel pilingup unheard-of numbers. He passedfor 3,609 yards, ran for 1,695 and ac-counted for 77 touchdowns to earn aspotontheParadeAll-AmericaTeam.

“I was enamored with him, a dif-ferencemaker, special guy,” Rossleysaid. “Every week he would confirmwhatIwassayinginmeetings.OnSat-urday before we played, coach [Tim]Cassidywould saywhat our recruitswere doing. Every week with thenumbers, it was comical.”The numbers have continued to

astound, with Manziel breaking theSoutheastern Conference record fortotal yards with 4,600. That, alongwith leading A&M to a 10-2 record,has made Manziel a finalist for the

HeismanTrophy.Manziel’s success doesn’t surprise

Rossleyatall,eventhoughtheformerstaff redshirted him.“I knew if Ryan [Tannehill] had

gone down early, we would havegone to Johnny,” Rossley said. “Wehad Tannehill and wanted to savethat year [for Manziel]. I don’t knowif he’ll have four years now.”

Rossley also recruited A&M back-up quarterback Jameill Showers, asophomore fromKilleen ShoemakerwhobackedupTannehill lastseason.“I told coach [Kevin] Sumlin that

Jameill is a pretty passer, a goodplayer,”Rossleysaid.“ButeventuallywhenJohnnygetsashot,youwillfindoutwhat you got.”Rossley, who is retired and liv-

ing in the Hill Country, coached for39 years. He spent nearly half of histenureintheNFL,includingsixyearswith Green Bay as Favre’s offensivecoordinator. He sees a lot of Favre inManziel, particularly inhis ability toextendplaysandmakethingshappenwhen the play breaks down.“I’ve never seen anyone else [be-

sides Favre]where you say, ‘Howdidhedo that?Howdidhenot giveupontheplay?’”Rossleysaid.“Hewants towin every play.”

rossley on Manziel’snFL prospects

Former A&M quarterbacks coachTom Rossley spent 11 years in theNFL. His view on Manziel as an NFLquarterback:

“He has huge hands and I can’ttell you how important that is in theNFL. He has a quick release and is alot more accurate than given creditfor. I don’t see his size being a hin-drance. He is bigger than RussellWilson [rookie starter for SeattleSeahawks] and bigger than [NewOrleans quarterback] Drew Brees.I think he can be better.”

rossLEY

Special to The Eagletomrossley,senior assistant/quarterbacks coachunderMikesherman,helped to recruit JohnnyManziel away fromoregonduring his senior year.

TIMTEBOWCAMNEWTON


Visit your local College StationAcademy Sports + Outdoors storeor academy.com for a full selectionof Texas A&M gear

Proud Corporate Partnerof the Texas A&M Aggies

By [email protected]

Allthose yearswatch-ing the kid do amazingthingsmade “Big Paul”

Manziel supremely confident inhis grandson.Manziel declaredthe TexasA&MquarterbackaHeismanTrophy candidatemonths before JohnnyManzielbecame a finalist for collegefootball’smost prestigious indi-vidual award.ToBig Paul’s way of think-

ing, there isn’tmuch that John-ny can’t do. Evading South-easternConference defenders?Check. Leading theAggies toa surprising 10-win season asa redshirt freshman? Check.Breaking SEC records held byArchieManning andCamNew-ton? Check.Those accomplishments and

manymore led to one challengethat has been toomuch even forthe player nicknamed JohnnyFootball, however.“All our friends and every-

body, they all want an auto-graphed football and this andthat,” PaulManziel said. “Wecan’t get all that stuff for ev-erybody.When Johnny comeshome, sometimes he just wantsto lay down and rest.We’re allexcited, but it’s really been alittle bit overwhelming.”PaulManziel lives in Tyler,

the citywhere Johnnywasraised beforemoving toKer-rville during his seventh gradeyear. Big Paulwatched hisgrandson growup as a starathletewho enjoyed huntingand fishing. Family photos ofJohnny show the tracks of hisupbringing, shots of him infootball and baseball uniforms,others posingwith deer and tur-keys that he bagged.According to his high school

baseball coach, Steve Rip-pee, Johnny could have beendrafted had hewanted to playprofessional baseball.Many ofManziel’s early exploits camein baseball, a sport built uponlegends, which lends itself to agrandfather’s recollections ofremarkable feats.“In Little League, he’d knock

it over the fence every othertime he hit the ball,” Big Paulsaid. “They had a 4-foot fencethat hewas knocking the ballover and breaking carwindows.They put a 16-foot fence up, andthe first rattle out of the box,he put it over that and broke awindow on the other side of thestreet.”While those type of feats can

be hard to verify,Manziel’smagicmoments fromhis firstseasonwith theAggies are not.There have been a handful ofoutrageous plays inwhich heescaped the clutches of defend-ers andmanaged to deliverunexpected passes,many ofthem thrown across his body,in defiance of common footballteachings.One of themostmemorable

plays— consideredManziel’sHeismanmoment bymany—came duringA&M’s upset of

then-No. 1 Alabama.Manzielavoided a sack, bumped intoone of his teammates and bob-bled the football, then scram-bled to his left and threw backover themiddle towide-openRyan Swope for a touchdown.“He played shortstop, and

that’s one reason he can throwthe ball [as a quarterback] fromevery angle,” PaulManziel said.“Everybodywants to knowhowhe can run to the left and throwto the right. He’s used to throw-ing the ball upside down, on hishead and from every position.It comes easier to himbecausethat’s what he’s been doing allof his life.”Big Paul rememberswatch-

ing Johnny run around infootball jerseys and helmets asa little boy. “I think the [Pitts-burgh] Steelerswas one of hisfavorite teams,” he said.Johnny, his parents and his

younger sistermoved toKer-rville after JohnPaulManziel,a home builder, got a contractto build 170 houses in the area,PaulManziel said. Johnny’sfootball legend grew in theHillCountry as he twice ledKer-rville Tivy to the Class 4A statesemifinals.“It was overwhelming in high

school, with all the records hewas breaking and the thingshewas doing,” PaulManzielsaid. “People came fromallover towatch himplay. Theydrove fromSanAntonio, fromAustin. Hewas filling up thehigh school stadiums. Hewasconstantly in the papers in theHill Country andAustin andSanAntonio.”Despite his success,Manziel

wasn’t in high demand amongcollege recruiters fromTexas.Some thought hewasn’t bigenough—he’s 6 feet tall andweighs 205 pounds now—andJohnny’s first scholarship offerfromamajor college programwas byOregon.Manziel committed to sign

with theDucks, but he laterswitched his commitment toTexasA&Mafter getting ascholarship offer from theAg-gies. Until then, JohnPaulMan-ziel planned tomove hiswifeand daughter toOregon to benear Johnny during his collegecareer, according to Big Paul.“He did it to be near his entire

family, andwewere thrilled,”PaulManziel said.TheAggie quarterbackwas

named the SEC freshman of theyear and offensive player of theyear thisweek. Hewas sched-uled to attend a college football

awards show inOrlando atmidweek and then to be inMan-hattan for theHeismanTrophyannouncement Saturday night.The other finalists areKansasState senior quarterbackCollinKlein andNotreDame seniorlinebackerManti Te’o.“Johnny’s doing a lot of

traveling andgetting all theseawards,”BigPaul said. “Wedon’t get to talk tohimverymuch.He’s staying so busy.He’sstill got to go to class anddo allhis studies.He’s a good student.”Manziel said his grandson

thought aboutmajoring in oiland gas law before choosingbusiness. He says Johnnywantsto someday follow in the familybusiness of oil and real estate.For now, he’s bringingmore

attention to theManziel namethan any gusher or land deal.“Everywherewe go, every-

body is so proud of him,” BigPaul said. “He’s accomplishedsomuch in one year. He’s brokesomany records.We’re proudfor him, and of him.”

Making a family proud‘BigPaul’Manziel describeshis grandson’s childhood, early success

“InLittleLeague,he’dknockitover the fenceeveryothertimehehit theball.Theyhada4-foot fence thathewasknocking theballover andbreakingcarwindows.”

“Big Paul”ManzielJohnny’s grandfather

Photos courtesy of the Manziel family

Family photos document Johnny Manziel’s hobbies and athletic interests.




2008 Honda Civic Stk # 96616a. $89 Down Payment. Selling Price $6,000. 72 Mo’s at 2.9% aPR.all prices and payments plus tax, title and license. With approved credit.780 Beacon and above. Subject to prior sale.

By ROBERT [email protected]

JohnnyManziel’s quest tobe the second Aggie Heis-man Trophywinner has

also put the national spotlighton Texas A&M’s John DavidCrow, whowon college foot-ball’s most coveted award in1957.Back then, Crow just went

to NewYork City and pickedup the award with little fan-fare. There wasn’t a HeismanTrophy presentation show ontelevision, like last year’s cer-emony that was watched by 4.6million people. There were nostraw polls during the regularseason and no talk shows de-bating the contenders’ chancesleading up to the announce-ment. The big season-endingblack-tie awards dinner in the1950s was theWalter CampTrophy and its All-Americateam.Crow said he took his Heis-

man Trophy home and put iton the shelf. For years, he said,“There wasn’t a wordmen-tioned about it.”But as the years went by,

the Heisman Trophy took on alife of its own, andwhat Crowaccomplished was relived andappreciated. Crow doesn’tremember when they startedbringing past winners back forthe presentation, but he’s beenattending since the 1970s. Crowmarvels at the sport’s growth.He said national exposure forcollege football when he wasgrowing upwas confined to theSaturday and Sunday sportspages. Nowwith the Internetand social media, college foot-ball has a 24/7 platform.“Every day, they talk about

football,” Crow said. “Some ofit is the pros, but a lot of it iscollege.”And other than talking about

who is the No. 1 team, peoplewant to debate the No. 1 player.That was Crow in 1957. The

6-2, 215-pounder was a two-waystandout for the Aggies. Heplayed only seven games inhis Heisman season becauseof injuries. He rushed for562 yards on 129 carries withsix touchdowns. He had five

interceptions. He was a first-round draft pick for the NFL’sChicago Cardinals, which be-came the St. Louis Cardinals,and he also played for the SanFrancisco 49ers. He played 11seasons, appearing in four ProBowls. He had 1,157 carries inhis career for 4,963 yards and38 touchdowns.But it’s theHeisman thatmost

people rememberhim fornow.Crowwas considered the

frontrunner in ’57 after hiscoach, the legendary Paul“Bear” Bryant, said, “If hedoesn’t win it they ought toquit giving it.” Manziel alsois the frontrunner, earning alion’s share of attention fromthemedia, something Crowdidn’t have to encounter. Butif he had, Crowwould like tothink of himself being some-what like Johnny Football.“I’m just so proud of the way

Johnny is handling this,” Crowsaid. “Explaining what if hewere to win it, he’s giving cred-it to his teammates, his coachesand the university. And I’vetried to do that mywhole life.”The 77-year-old Crow has

always praised his teammates,and had a love for Texas A&M.Former A&Mhead coachJackie Sherrill brought Crowback to Aggieland as assistantathletic director in 1983.“I had one of the former

players that was John David’steammate call me,” Sherrillsaid. “He askedme, ‘Do youknowwhat you are doing inhiring John David? He’s thebiggest thing ever in Aggieathletics.’“I answered, ‘I might not be

the smartest person, but I doknow that John David belongshere and he will be able to helptake care of things.’”After Sherrill resigned in

1988, Crow became athleticdirector, and later worked asa fundraiser for A&Muntilretiring in 2001. He still lives inCollege Station and frequentlyattends all types of A&M func-tions.Former A&M football coach

R.C. Slocum, whowas inductedinto the College Football Hallof Fame on Tuesday night inNewYork City and has been at

A&M four decades, said wher-ever he goes, Crow is the oneperson people ask him about.Crow, who also coached

under Bryant at Alabama,returned to Tuscaloosa lastmonth when the Aggies playedthere. Crow, along withmorethan 20 Junction Boys whoplayed for Bryant at A&M,were guests at a reunion. Crowwas amazed that several peoplebrought their Sports IllustratedfromNov. 9, 1964, that featuredCrow on the cover when hewaswith the St. Louis Cardinals.They wanted his autograph.He’ll be giving out a lotmore

autographs thisweekend inNewYorkCity, trying to be the bestformerHeismanTrophywinnerpossible.He said it’s humbling toconsider that eachyear, only oneplayer representing oneuniver-sitywins the award.“It means a lot tome to try

and portray what I want theaward tomean,” Crow said.“And that’s not just on thefield, but off the field. And thethings that we do every dayshouldmean something.”Two years ago, Texas A&M

put a statue of Crow in frontof the Bright Complex, whichalso houses a replica of Crow’sHeisman Trophy in the lobby.Crow’s Heisman and a replicaof that campus statue are dis-played at Crow’s house in anupstairs room. His wife, Caro-lyn, has a bright red Christmasscarf on the trophy. Awards,trophies, paintings and pic-tures are tastefully arrangedin the room and a hallwaythat leads out to a small areaat the top of the stairwell thatalso hasmementos of Crow’slife, with a desk in themiddlewhere he pays bills.A&Mwould become the 17th

school withmultiple HeismanTrophywinners if Manzielwins. Crow is excited aboutthe possibility of another Ag-gie joining him. He’s certainlywaited a long time.“I’ve got grandchildren older

than he is,” Crow said. “I justhope that he and all the oneswhowin it will do all they canto preserve the integrity of theaward. I think you have toomany young people looking

up to youwhen youwin some-thing like this. I think you oweit to the young people, and theparents of those young people,to display asmuch integrityand honor as possible. That’sacademics, that’s everything.You gotta sell it all. Butmostof all, you have to be apprecia-tive of what your teammateshelped you do.”

Eagle photo by Dave McDermandCrow talks about Aggie football and the natural gifts of Johnny Manziel from the office in his College Station home.

‘Thebiggest thing inAggie athletics’JohnDavidCrow reflects on hisHeismanwin,Manziel’s winningways

Eagle photo by Dave McDermandJohn David Crow with his 1957 Heisman Trophy at his home in College Station. Legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant said of Crow,“If he doesn’t win it then they ought to quit giving it.”

Courtesy of Cushing Memorial Library

Right: Crow poses with his HeismanTrophy after receiving it at the awardsceremony in 1957.

Photo courtesy of Hesiman Trust


Aseasonofmilestones ...

1

5 6 7

2 3

4

1. Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel breaks past SamHouston defenders.2. Manziel lines up with his teammates to sing TheSpirit of Aggieland before playing Sam Houston.3. Manziel runs for big yards against Arkansas.4. Johnny Manziel celebrates with his teammatesafter a road win at Southern Methodist University.5. Manziel warms up before the Aggies’ game atSMU.6. Manziel scrambles out of the pocket againstArkansas.7. Manziel warms up as Texas A&M head coachKevin Sumlin watches before the Aggies’ homegame against Missouri.

Eagle photos by Stuart Villanueva


3100 Briarcrest Drive979-776-7600

www.garlynsheltonbryan.com

... and triumphs

1

4

2

3

1. Johnny Manziel leaves Missouri defenders in his wake on a big run.2. Manziel warms up before the Sam Houston State game.3. Manziel breaks free of SMU defenders.4. Texas A&M’s Ryan Swope (left) and Manziel celebrate Swope’s 80-yardtouchdown reception during the second quarter against Arkansas.



Winner -Best Electrician2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012The Eagle Readers’ Choice Award

briceco.net979.693.4076

3002 Longmire Dr.College Station, TX

TECL# 18458

From your home’s broken light switch to lighting a new office cubicle,making Britt Rice Electric your first call will be your best call.

With over 245 electricians, 110 Journeymen Electricians, and85 Apprentice/Helpers, Britt Rice has the manpower and equipmentto get any size job done quickly, whether residential or commercial.

And with experience that comes from thousands of projectssince 1974 ranging from lighting up the Bush Library, Kyle Field,and Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park to installing a home ceiling fan,

your confidence in a job well done is guaranteed.

Even the smallestrepair deserves the

biggest name.

Even the smallestrepair deserves the

biggest name.

260-TINT

AG SOLARGUARD

AG SOLARGUARD3410 Texas Ave. S. • 1 mile north of University

SINCE 1989

Warm Your Car for Cold Weather!

REMOTE START FOR YOUR CARstarting @ $34900

*SOME INTERFACES EXTRA CHARGE

$10OFFComplete Window TintingMINIMUM $100 PURCHASE. WRITTEN LIFETIME WARRANTYCOUPON EXPIRES 12/31/12 NOT VALID ON GIFT CARD

9” FLIP DOWN VIDEO$69900 INSTALLED*MOST VEHICLES. PRICES GOOD THROUGH 12/31/12

By LARRY [email protected]

KERRVILLE—Memories arequickly recalled, capturedmuchmore easily than the ath-

lete who produced them, elusive quar-terback and hometown hero JohnnyManziel.BeforeManziel became a fresh-man phenomenon at Texas A&Mandthe frontrunner to win theHeismanTrophy, hewas a superstar in this HillCountry town.Manziel twice led theKerrville TivyAntlers to the Class 4Astate semifinals, taking football-crazyfans to a new level of madness.As is the casewithmost amazingthings, manyKerrville residents viv-idly rememberwhen they discoveredManziel.“I’ll never forget takingmy familydown to Antler Stadium on a Sundayin the summer of 2008,” said ToddBock, who served as Kerrville’smayorwhenManziel played for Tivy. “Un-beknownst tome, theywere out thereplaying backyard football. I noticeda youngman throwing, catching andrunning. I stoppedmyworkout and Isat there andwatched this young kid.I was amazed. I toldmywife that is anincredible athlete. Come to find out, itwas Johnny.”Manziel played quarterback three

years for Tivy, electrifying a programthat had last reached the state semifi-nals in 1988. Antler Stadiumwas theplace to be on Friday nights, drawingfans fromKerrville and neighboringtowns.Bock calls it the big show, and iteven dazzled even the town’s old-timers.Pinky Brown played halfback for

Tivy in the early 1950s. Brown dis-cussedManziel’s candidacy and ex-ploits over a cup of coffee at the HillCountry Cafe, which says “Kerrville”not somuchwith a scream as in adrawl. American and Texas flags arein the high corners of the cozy room,bookends to a painted sign on thewallthat reads “ATexas Legend.”Brown isn’t necessarily a fan of howthe game has spread out and gonepass-happy since his playing days,but he couldn’t help but be amazedbyManziel. HisManzielMoment atAntler Stadium camewhile watching aTivy gamewith his brother, Spencer, amunicipal court judge in Kerrville.“On Friday night, the high schoolgame is the place to go,” Pinky said.“Wewere out there one night and[Manziel] crossed the field a coupleof times and then turned around andthrew the ball across his body andhit this guy right there. It was a 40- or50-yard pass— choom.Ol’ Spencerwas sitting there and he said, ‘I don’tremember it being this easy.’“We hadn’t seen anybody run likethat. The closest I’d ever seenwas JimSwink [former TCUAll-American]when I watched him play against Tex-as in Austin.”In three seasons as varsity quarter-back,Manziel passed for 7,571 yards.Hewas named a ParadeAll-Americanafter his senior season, inwhich hethrew for 3,609 yards and ran for 1,674while producing 77 touchdowns.“What you’re seeing him do against

Alabama is what we got to watch everyweek,” Bock said.The improvisational ability that

haswowed college football fanswasnurtured at Antler Stadium. Tivy usu-ally operated from a spread formationwith four receivers. One of Manziel’s

pass targets was SeanKibbett, whoalso graduated in 2010 and is currentlya student at A&Mmajoring in sportsmanagement.“Our playswere structured butwhen it would break down, as you cansee now, Johnny canmake things hap-penwith his feet and still look down-field for open receivers,” Kibbett said.“He really was a good teammate. Hecould get onto everybody, linemen andreceivers alike, but it was only becausehewanted the best out of us. Hewasn’tafraid to admit when hemessed up. Ilike him a lot.”

Putting Kerrville on the mapKerrville, tucked in theHill Countrynorthwest of SanAntonio andwest ofAustin, has a population of 22,347. Be-foreManziel, the townwas best knownas a tourist spot, the home of theKerrville Folk Festival and a highlyranked place to retire.Now?“Mywife was talking to an insur-

ance agent in Dallas and he askedwhere shewas from,” Stuart Cunyussaid. “When she told him she’s fromKerrville, Texas, the first thing he saidwas ‘Johnny Football.’”Cunyus chronicledManziel’s play-ing days from junior high throughhigh school, writing stories and takingpictures for theHill Country Commu-nity Journal, a weekly newspaper. Cu-nyus qualifies as the officialManzielhistorian, owning thick binders thatdetail the Kerrville part of Manziel’sstory.Although there are plenty of Aggies

in and aroundKerrville, Cunyus is notone of them.“I’m a TCU fan, but right now I’m anAggie fan,” Cunyus said. “I won’t be infour years, but I amnow. I told JohnnyI’m going to give him the ultimate com-pliment because I hate the Aggies. I’mrooting for them as long as he’s there.”Back at the Hill Country Cafe, awaitress says the sixmen at a nearbytable— the group is known as “theclub”—had been talking aboutMan-ziel’s photo being on the front page ofUSAToday in a box on the sidewalkoutside the cafe thatmorning.Mem-bers of the club hadn’t noticed the linebeside the photo that calledManziel “akid fromTyler, Texas.”Manziel lived in Tyler before his

familymoved to Kerrville when hewas a seventh-grader. InManziel’scase, Kerrville seems to believemorerecent possession is nine-tenths of thelaw.“He belongs to us,” TivyHigh School

receptionist Bessie Fifer said.Fifer sits behind a big semicircledesk in the school’smain office. Thecounter probablywould hold a coupledozen backpacks, except for severalof Fifer’s framed photographs,many

See HOME, Page D17

Beforehewas JohnnyFootball ...

Top: Johnny Manziel played footballand baseball for Tivy High School inKerrville.

Special to The Eagle

Left:Photographs of Johnny Manzielare displayed on the desktop of TivyHigh School receptionist BessieFifer (in middle photograph) at theschool.Bottom (left to right):Kerrville nativePinky Brown watchedManziel’shigh school years.Todd Bock,former Kerrville mayor, displays anautographed football in his officegiven to him byManziel.Manzielfamily friend and former Tivy radioannouncer JimMuncie shows offhis “Go Johnny Go”bumper sticker.


“What you’re seeing him do

against Alabama is what we got

to watch every week.”

ToddBockFormer Kerrvillemayor

Kerrville residents proudly tellManziel tales, celebrate his success

Eagle photo by Stuart VillanuevaTivy High School attendance coordinator Janie McNeil displays some of Manziel’s clippings.


includingManziel.Maybe 30 yards away— a distance

easily covered during some of Man-ziel’s trademark scrambles — theathletic department trophy caseincludes several awards won byMan-ziel, along with the team’s plaquesfor reaching the state semifinalsduring his sophomore and juniorseasons.The athletic department secretary

has no trouble locating the key tothe case: Camera crews fromESPNand Fox Sports Southwest have paidrecent visits to the home of the playernicknamed Johnny Football.“To sit there on your sofa andwatch

SportsCenter and have them talkabout JohnnyManziel andKerrville,Texas ... it give you chills,” said Bock.Manziel maintains his ties to Ker-

rville, trading textmessages withFifer, whowishes him good luck onThursday before every game. He gaveBock an autographed football in Sep-

temberwhen he turned 40.JimMuncie was Tivy’s radio an-

nouncer during the two trips to thestate semifinals and he remains aclose friend of theManziel family.Muncie believes a recent profile ofManziel in theNewYork Times fo-cused toomuch onManziel’s scrapeswith the law, onewhile hewas in highschool and the other last summer.Manziel was arrested in June after analtercation outside a College Stationbar, and chargedwith giving policefake identification.“That spin isn’t appropriate, I think,

in Johnny’s case,”Muncie said. “Idid the same damn thingwhen I was[20] years old. I got kicked out of theUniversity of Texas-El Paso for doingstupid stuff, so I can relate to Johnny.“Am Iworried about Johnny?No.

He’s a 19-year-old kidwho’s kindabeen ripped [over the issue], but hehas the respect of his teammates. Yousee it on the sideline.”

Becoming Johnny FootballManziel became known as Johnny

Football after arriv-ing in Aggieland. Cu-nyus said he thoughtabout callingMan-ziel something thatwould not have lentitself to such a greatnickname.“Johnny Football

is catchy, but I thinkwe still think of himas Johnny,” Cunyussaid. “We thought weshould refer to himas John, but it just

didn’t work. He’s Johnny.”WhenManziel’s familymoved to

Kerrville, he didn’t provoke greatexpectations as an eighth-grader, andwas not a big namewhen he started atTivyHigh School.“I walked in on the first day of

school in 2007 and saw him sitting atthe table and askedwho hewas,” Fifersaid. “One of the kids toldme hewasgoing to be the best quarterback atTivyHigh School. I said, ‘Yeah, right.’He just looked like a scrawny littlekid.”Fifer, who has two grown children,

wound up thinking of Manziel as ason. She figures she’ll probably cry ifManziel wins theHeisman.“By the time he got to be a sopho-

more, he started coming by [her desk]regular,” Fifer said. “I was helping outwith the varsity, andwhen he came on

the sidelines wewould chat.“He’s such an unbelievable kid. He’s

so sweet, so kind. He’s never been any-thing but respectful. I just love him.”Although football wasManziel’s

true love, hewas a terrific baseballplayer at Tivy.Manziel played short-stop for coach Steve Rippee, who be-lievesManziel could have been draftedif hewanted to play professionalbaseball.Winter rye grass was taking hold

on the field in late November, but foramoment it felt a little like late spring

as Rippee reminisced. “Johnny hit afew out of here,” he said.For an athlete as talented asMan-

ziel, that simply requiredmaking goodcontact and getting the baseball el-evated, a task for which hewasmade.“Whatmakes Johnny themostmag-

nificent is theway he elevates playersaround him,” Bock said. “Hewill takea good player and elevate them to agreat player. That allows him to dowhat he does.“He elevated all the players. He el-

evated a team. He elevated a town.”

HOME:Friends, fans root forKerrville’s newcelebrityContinued fromD16

Tivy head baseball coach Steve Rippee coachedManziel on thediamond (above) aswell as servingas an assistant on the football field.

Stuart Cunyus, a reporter and photographer fortheHill Country Community Journal, coveredMan-ziel’s high school sports career.


Special to The Eagle


401 University Drive East • 979-691-2019 • Montelongos.com

Pete’s Autocareis proud

$5 Off Your Next OilChange at Pete’s!

exp.1/31/2013

Just a few of the manyservices we offer:

979-774-11922501 East 29th St. Bryan, TX 77802 www.petesautocarecenter.com

• Suspension• Alignment• Brakes• New Care Purchase Inspection(Bring it in before you buy it)• Tires (all major brands)

Of Our AggielandQuarterback!

• Oil Change• Routine Maintenance• Inspections• Diagnostics• A/C Repair• Electrical Repair

It’s an All-American name, which got us think-ing deeply about other great Johnnys, real andfictional. Here are 20 of them.Where does JohnnyManziel rank? If he wins the Heisman, we’d slidehim right between Johnny Bench and Johnny Rot-ten. But he’s moving up the charts fast.

1. Johnny Cash: No one tops the Man in Black.2. Johnny Carson: There’s no “Here’s Johnny!”

moment in The Shining without Carson.3. Johnny Depp: Great actor in serious (Finding

Neverland), musical (Sweeney Todd) and offbeat(Alice in Wonderland) flicks.4. Johnny Unitas: As Abe Simpson once said of

the quarterback legend’s high-and-tight, “There’sa haircut you can set your watch to!”5. Johnnie Walker: “I love scotch. Scotchy,

scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into mybelly.”6. Johnny Appleseed: Because we need some-

thing healthy after all that scotch.7. Johnny Bench: The Cincinnati Reds catcher

starred for The Big Red Machine.8. Johnny Rotten: The snarling, acid-tongued

lead singer of Brit-punk band The Sex Pistols.9. Johnny Mathis: The super-smooth crooner

known for Chances Are.10. Dr. Johnny Fever: ThewildmanDJ onWKRP

in Cincinnati.11. Johnny Quest: The animated boy hero.12. Johnny Knoxville: The head jackass on

Jackass.13. Johnny Cade: The fallen hero in The Out-

siders. “Let’s do it for Johnny, man. We’ll do it forJohnny!”14. Johnny Marr: Playing guitar for The Smiths

means he played second fiddle to Morrissey. Butstill, that’s a mean fiddle.15. Johnny Drama: Kevin Dillon’s Entourage

character was a consistent source of laughs.16. Johnny Galecki: The Big BangTheory,Rose-

anne and Christmas Vacation.17. Johnnie Taylor: “The Philosopher of Soul,”

best known for the 1976 hit Disco Lady.18. Johnny Storm:Otherwise known as The Hu-

man Torch, one-fourth of the Fantastic Four.19. Johnny Utah: The preposterous name of

Keanu Reeves’ character in Point Break.20. JohnnyMnemonic: The preposterous name

of Keanu Reeves’ character in Johnny Mnemonic.

— Rob Clark

Where does Johnny Manziel rankon the all-time Johnny list?

Extra points JohnnyFootball’sTop10

By DAVID [email protected]

JohnnyManzielhasbeenahumanhighlight reel from the moment hetook his first collegiate snap in Sep-tember.While leading Texas A&M to its

first 10-win season since 1998, Man-ziel ran and threw for a combined 43touchdowns and set the SEC recordfor total offense with 4,600 yards.His play provided constant enter-tainment and unpredictability and

made him one of college football’smost exciting players.Inaneffort to recaphis surprising

season, here’s our take on his top 10plays. There were many more thatbarelymissed the cut.

1.“Got him. no theydidn’t. oh my gracious!How about that?!?”

Nov. 10 at Alabama

If Manziel needed a Heismanmoment,this was it. With the Aggies leading top-ranked Alabama 7-0 in the first quarter,Manziel led the team inside the 10-yardline. On third-and-goal, Manziel droppedback to pass and looked to run up themiddle. He bumped into guard CedricOgbuehi, causing the football to pop intothe air. Manziel regained control of theball, scrambled to his left and found anopen Ryan Swope in the back of the endzone for a touchdown, inspiring that quotefrom legendary CBS broadcaster VerneLundquist.

2. the game winneragainst the tide

Nov. 10 at AlabamaAfter completing a 42-yard pass to

Swope,Manziel didn’t waste timemakinganother perfect throw. The Aggies ran thesameplayas thegame-winneragainstOleMiss—acorner route againstmancover-age. Manziel spotted Malcome Kennedyandmadeaperfect throw, just beyond the

‘TheEagle’ picksManziel’s best 10 plays from the 2012 season

AP file phototexas a&M quarterback Johnny Manziel celebrates a first-half touchdown against alabama during the aggies’ 29-24 victory nov. 10 at Bryant-Denny stadium in tuscaloosa,ala.

See TOP 10, Page D19


AggieSports.comBringing fans

the latest on all Aggieand Brazos Valley sports

• Follow Robert Cessna’sup-to-the-minute blogson college football’s mostprestigious award selectionlive from New York

• Bowl match-ups

• Richard Croome’s blog,Croome’s Corner

• David Harris’ blog,From the Press Box

• Read the latest contributions fromReggie McNeal, Bucky Richardsonand Jackie Sherrill

• Schedules for upcomingAggie sports events

• Online videos and photo galleries

• Also find coverage on basketball,volleyball, softball, baseball, tennis,cross country, equestrian, track andfield, soccer, golf and much more!

Follow us on:twitter.com/Aggie_Sportsfacebook.com/aggiesports

fingertips of All-American cornerbackDee Milliner. Kennedy hauled it in atthe goal line, and the Aggies took a29-17 lead. It proved to be the game-winner in the 29-24 upset.

3. Breaking his ownSEC record

Oct. 13 vs. Louisiana Techin Shreveport, La.

On the verge of blowing a 27-pointlead, the Aggies faced a third-and-24when Manziel took off. He sprintedto the right, split two defendersaround the 40-yard line and outranthe rest of the Bulldogs’ defense fora 72-yard touchdown run that wasthe difference in the 59-57 win.Manziel gained 576 total yards inthe game, breaking his previous re-cord of 557 against Arkansas.

4. Completinga comeback

Oct. 6 at Ole MissThe Aggies faced a 10-point defi-

cit midway through the fourth quar-ter, and Manziel had turned the ballover three times, including a fumblein the red zone and a fourth-quarterinterception. However, his 29-yardtouchdown run cut the lead to fourpoints. After the Aggies got a hugefourth-down stop in Ole Miss ter-ritory, Manziel took over with twominutes remaining and 27 yards togo. On third-and-3, Manziel droppedback to pass, saw Swope running acorner route and delivered a perfectstrike to put the Aggies in front.

5.A run worthyof a butt slap

Nov. 3 at Mississippi StateIn a battle of top-15 teams, A&M

raced to a 14-0 lead over the Bull-dogs. Facing third-and-10 at the Mis-sissippi State 37-yard line, Manzieltook things into his own hands. Heavoided the blitz, sprinted aroundthe right edge and scampered to-ward the end zone. He split defend-ers at the 20-yard line and again atthe 10, waltzing into the end zone

and breaking into a “Superman” cel-ebration. Offensive coordinator KliffKingsbury was so elated he gavehead coach Kevin Sumlin a slap onthe rear.

6.Two steps forward,two steps back

Sept. 29 vs. ArkansasOn third-and-goal against the Ra-

zorbacks, Manziel dropped back topass and surveyed the field. Arkan-sas linebacker Tenarius Wright gotfree and closed in on Manziel fromhis right. Manziel escaped to his left,but Wright chased him backward.Manziel completed a full loop asWright fell down,and the Aggie quar-terback outran Arkansas defendersfor a 6-yard touchdown run.

7.A perfect throwat the perfect time

Nov. 10 at AlabamaThe Aggies had a 23-17 lead at

Alabama early in the fourth quarter.With the Crimson Tide crowd going

crazy, Manziel faked a handoff toBen Malena, drifted to his right andlooked to his go-to receiver, Swope,throwing a perfect pass between thecornerback and the safety. It went for42 yards and put the Aggies in primeposition to deliver a knockout punch.

8.An unconventionaltechnique

Sept. 15 at SMUMost quarterbacks throw bet-

ter with both feet planted. AgainstSMU, Manziel showed he isn’t likemost quarterbacks. In the secondhalf, he escaped linebacker TaylorReed and scrambled to his left. Withmore Mustang defenders approach-ing,Manziel jumped off one foot anddelivered a perfect pass to KenricMcNeal,who did the rest of the workfor a 42-yard touchdown.

9. Just playing withdefenders

Nov. 24 vs. MissouriOn second-and-goal in the first

half of a blowout, Manziel tookthe snap and looked toward theend zone. He stood in the pocketfor eight seconds with no Tiger de-fenders threatening to sack him.He drifted to his right, evaded onedefender, then stepped through thegrasp of defensive tackle Matt Hoch.From there Manziel scrambled left,pump-faked, then found a wide-openUzoma Nwachukwu in the corner ofthe end zone. Manziel held the ballfor 12 seconds on the play.

10. Johnny Footballin all respects

Oct. 13 vs. Louisiana Techin Shreveport, La.

The Aggies led the Bulldogs39-23 in the third quarter and werethreatening again. But the Bull-dogs stopped running back Chris-tine Michael near the goal line andknocked the ball loose as Michaeltried to stretch it across the line.Louisiana Tech linebacker ChipHester recovered the fumble andtook off downfield. Though officialsruled Michael’s progress had beenhalted, many players didn’t hear

the whistle, including Manziel. Hechased down Hester and tackledhim around the A&M 40-yard line,forcing another fumble. Tech line-backer Mike Schrang picked up the

loose ball, but Manziel tackled him,too. The play didn’t count, or Man-ziel would’ve had the rare QB featof two tackles and a forced fumbleon one play.

AP file photoJohnny Manziel scrambles for yards against Louisiana Tech in Shreveport, La., on Oct. 13. Manziel broke his own record forsingle-game total offense with 576 yards in the Aggies’ 59-57 victory.

TOP10:Manziel’s 576yards againstLouisianaTech amonghis highlightsContinued fromD18

AP file photoTexas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel sprints through the heart of the Missis-sippi State defense on a 37-yard touchdown run on Nov. 3 in Starkville, Miss. TheAggies won 38-13.

Eagle photo by Stuart VillanuevaTexas A&M left tackle Luke Joeckel lifts Johnny Manziel after a touchdown in theAggies’ 59-29 victory against Missouri on Nov. 24 at Kyle Field.


Aggie Ownedand Operated

Expires March 31, 2013

$20 Off

First Time Customer Only!

By ALLEN [email protected]

Media members and pastHeisman winners are not im-mune to Johnny Football fever.

The award for the most out-standing player in college foot-ballwillbepresentedSaturdayinNew York City. The last time anAggie took home the honor, gaswas 24 cents a gallon,The Cat intheHatwasfreshlypublishedandfederal troops had just been sentinto Arkansas to desegregate itspublic schools. It was 1957, andJohn David Crow became TexasA&M’s onlyHeismanwinner.

Crow earned the trophy withhis standout play at runningback. He said he can’t wait forA&M to win another, and hasbeen pleasantly shocked byJohnny Manziel.

“I’veheardalotof peopletryingto compare him to someone whohas played before,” Crow said,“everyone from Archie Manningto Tim Tebow. But I think he hashisownstyle....Itseemstomelikeit’s all him.You’rebornwith thatkind of stuff.”

Crow wouldn’t say who hevoted for, but did drop a hint.

“I’m an Aggie,” he said. “Soyou can take it from there.”

Ballotsarecastby870newspa-per journalists across the coun-try, includingEagle sports writ-ers Robert Cessna and RichardCroome.Every formerHeismanwinner (57now)alsohaveavote.One fanvote is included,aswell.

Texas media members haddiffering opinions on Manziel’splaying style, but all said theywere impressed by him.

“Theyprobablywon’t like thecomparison, but he’s kind of asmallerVinceYoung,” saidKirkBohls of the Austin American-Statesman. “He can take over agame by himself.”

Bohls has watched Manziellive fourtimesthisyear,andsaidhecameaway“veryimpressed.”Manziel, Bohls said, has trans-formed the football culture atA&M in one year, and that hewas “flabbergasted” with howwell A&M has played.

“He’s just so electric,” Bohlssaid. “You can’t take your eyesoffof himwhenhe’son thefield.

He’s just the best combinationof solid quarterback play andunexpected explosiveness. He’sgot the ‘wow’ factor likevery fewplayers I’ve ever seen.”

Still,Bohls joked thatManzielwasn’t perfect.

“Heneedsalotof workatkick-ing extra points,” Bohls said.

Kevin Sherrington with theDallas Morning News attendedA&M’s games against Florida,Louisiana State and Alabamaand watched other A&M gameson television. He said whilewatching Manziel play Florida,Dallas Cowboys quarterbackTonyRomoimmediatelycametomind.Sherringtonsaidbothareunconventional quarterbackswith the ability to extend plays.

“Atthattime,everyonethoughtFlorida was a middle-rung SECteam,”Sherringtonsaid. “I thinkitwashard to tell rightawayhowgoodhe reallywas.”

The Heisman goes to the mostoutstanding player, not the mostvaluableplayer,Sherringtonsaid.

“The Aggies won 10 games,and after what they’ve been forthepast15years, that’sphenom-

enal — and I think he’s the dif-ference,” Sherrington said. “Ithink, if I took this kid and I puthimonany team in the country,howgoodwould that teambe? Ifyou put him on LSU, LSU wouldbe the national champion.”

The Dallas sportswriter de-clined to share his ballot, butsimilarly shared a preview.

“It’s clear to me Johnny is thebest player,” Sherrington said.“I don’t think it’s really close.”

Brent Zwerneman covers Ag-gie sports for the San AntonioExpress-News and the HoustonChronicle. He shared many ofthe same impressions.

“The best guy I’ve seen by faris Johnny Manziel,” Zwerne-man said. “It’s just so much funto watch a guy when things areseemingly collapsing in on him,for him to be able to escape.”

Zwerneman said it’s hard tocompare Manziel to any past orcurrent star, but that he com-pares favorably toFranTarken-ton — a nine-time Pro Bowlquarterback for the MinnesotaVikings in the 1960s and ’70s.

“He has really interesting

instincts where he senses dan-ger from behind,” Zwernemansaid. “Manziel is more of DrewBrees’size,butwithmuchbetterscrambling ability.”

College Station has a handfulof Heisman voters. Zwernemanis joinedbyCessnaandCroome,and Olin Buchanan with Tex-Ags, a local fan site.

Cessnaalso threwhissupportbehind the College Station sen-sation.

“He improvises plays,” Cess-na said. “His peripheral visionis just phenomenal. The fact hecanturnsomanynegativeplaysnot only into positive plays butgame-changing plays — youcan’t coach that.”

Tarkenton also came to Cess-na’s mind, butThe Eagle execu-tive sports editor says Manzielstands on his own.

“Ihatecomparing teams,gen-erations, players,” Cessna said.“You know he’s not MichaelVick, he’s not Tim Tebow. He’sJohnny Manziel. You have toenjoy what you have. He’s him-self, he’s Johnny Football, andit’s amazing.”

LocalHeismanvoters soundoffonManziel

Eagle photo by Stuart VillanuevaJohnny Manziel could become Texas A&M’s second Heisman Trophy winner.

It’s probably no surprise that #johnnyfootball, #heisman,#gigem and #tamu have recently taken turns trending on Twitter.

Texas A&M redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel,more lovingly known as Johnny Football, has attracted nationalattention this season, and many fans have taken to social mediato share their opinion on the 20-year-old from Kerrville. Fromadoration to jokes (with a nod to Chuck Norris boasts), here’s alook at what’s being tweeted:

• MaryHannah Donaldson @_MH12 - Even the kids I babysit forwant #JohnnyFootball to win the heisman!

• Justin Gilliam @justingilligan - Let’s be honest thereis only one candidate that deserves the heisman#JohnnyFootball4Heisman #numbersdontlie

• Ric Brooks @usmcbrooks - #JohnnyFootball put on his kneebrace to prove that a one legged man can win a butt kickingcontest

• Brandon Luce @Coach_Luce - #JohnnyFootball can judge abook by its cover.

• Julio Cardenas @jcardenas711 - I once saw #JohnnyFootballeat at Chik-Fil-A... on a Sunday.

• lesterrose @lesterrose - Fire trucks pull over for JohnnyFootball. #JohnnyFootball

• Alan Wilson @coachalanwilson - The most interesting manin world doesn’t always follow people on twitter...but when hedoes he tweets about #JohnnyFootball

• Jesse Fox @J_Fox44 - When #JohnnyFootball does a push-uphe doesn’t push himself up, he pushes the world down

• Julio Cardenas @jcardenas711 - Scooby Doo dressed up as#JohnnyFootball for Halloween.

• Brandon Williams @Bwilliamsiscool - I can’t wait for#JohnnyFootball to win the #Heisman then score a touchdownin the Cotton Bowl and do the #Heismanpose

• Anthony Stone @arstone26 - Ghosts sit around a campfireand tell #JohnnyFootball stories

• Jacob Baca @jbaca12 - Can’t wait for the Heisman Trophypresentation Saturday night! #Heismanziel

• Kenny Dwayne Vaccaro @KennyVaccaro4 - Shout out to myboy @JManziel2 for being SEC offensive player of the year. Goget the heisman

• Scott Kutchins @scottkutchins - @JManziel2 Ur doing greatthings! So proud of what u stand 4 my 7 y/o changed hisLacrosse number to 2 because u r his hero! Good luck n NYC

• Rhett Rapshus @rhettrapshus - if @JManziel2 doesn’t win theheisman, im boycotting college football. the kid is absolutelyunstoppable

• Al Hinshaw @Hinshaw_10 - I know I’m biased to the #SEC,but Johnny Football should, in my opinion win the #Heisman.4600 yards and beating Bama on the road. #Aggies

• Lee Bernhoft @Leebernt - The Alamo remembers#JohnnyFootball.

• Phil Smith @psmith867 - #JohnnyFootball Is required by ruleto wear a helmet, not because he needs it, but for the otherplayers’ safety.

• Matthew Wolfert @matauswol - My dad just sang the “JohnnyFootball” song from the pulpit at church. #HeisManziel

• Brandon Luce @Coach_Luce - Siri asks #JohnnyFootballquestions.

• Sabra Wineteer @sabrawineteer - BCS bowls are a mess, butworth it to see Bob Stoops’ face when Johnny Football turnsOklahoma’s defense into headless chickens...#Aggies

• Erik Burkhart @HuskerInsanity - Prince William and KateMiddleton should name their baby “Johnny Football” #Aggies

• jack @jacksydale - They don’t cut the grass at kyle field,#JohnnyFootball dares it to grow.

– Cassie Smith

#JohnnyFootball hypethrives onTwitter


FACTS ABOUT INDOOR AIR1. 20% of all illnesses are either caused by, oraggravated by, polluted indoor air2. Children & the elderly are especially affected bypolluted indoor air3. Most people spend 60% to 90% of their timeindoors4. The average 6-room house collects 40 pounds ofdust each year5. Over 7.6 million children (5-17 years) & over 12.7million adults (18-44 years) suffer asthma

AFTER

BEFORE

BRYAN • COLLEGE STATION • 979.314.7131FIND US AT YELLOWPAGES.COM AND SEARCH OUR TELEPHONE NUMBER

WWW.TRUCLEANONLINE.COM

DIRTY DRYER VENTS CAN CAUSE A FIRE ASKABOUT DRYER VENT CLEANING

WHOLE HOUSEUP TO 7 AREAS CLEANED

$14995

ANY 5 AREASCLEANED$10995

WHOLE HOUSEUP TO 6 AREAS CLEANED

$12995

ANY 3 AREASCLEANED$7495

CARPET CLEANING AVAILABLE

CALL FORFREE ESTIMATE

CLEANING UP TO 11 VENTS$129 Air Duct

Helping to make your home Allergy Free

510 W. William J. Bryan, Bryan, TX • 979.823.8624

Friendly Service, Fantastic Selection..From Our Family To Yours!

Whether You’re Cheering On Our Quarterback OrCelebrating The Holidays With Family!

- open 365 days a year -6AM TO 9PM

IN DOWNTOWN BRYANAcross From The Fire Station

$7.99/dozen

TAMALESTODAY!

YOUR AUTHENTICPRE-ORDER

La Perla Tapatía Meat Market

The name Johnny has been used for dozensof characters in pop songs over the years, sohere we present a Johnny mix of sorts. Wetook the liberty of skipping songs that don’tfit the bill because of violent lyrics, like BruceSpringsteen’s Johnny 99, Liz Phair’s JohnnyFeelgood, Poe’s Angry Johnny and Bob Marley’sJohnny Was. But here are a few lighter Johnnysongs to get you in the Heisman mood.

• Johnny Angel by Shelley Fabares (1962):“Johnny Angel, how I want him/How I tinglewhen he passes by/Every time he says hellomy heart begins to fly.”

• New Kid in Town by The Eagles (1976):“Johnny come lately, the new kid in town/Everybody loves you, so don’t let them down.”

• Can’t Keep Johnny Down by They Might BeGiants (2011): “And they can’t, can’t keepJohnny down/They haven’t yet built the manthat’ll keep old Johnny down.”

• Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry (1958):“Many people coming from miles around/To hear you play your music when the sun godown/Maybe someday your name will be inlights/Saying Johnny B. Goode tonight, go, go/Go Johnny go.”

• Who’s Johnny by El DeBarge (1986): “‘Who’sJohnny,’ she said, and smiled in her specialway/‘Johnny,’ she said, ‘You know I love you.’”

• Johnny Guitar by Peggy Lee (1954): “Therewas never a man like my Johnny/Like the onethey call Johnny Guitar.”

– Rob Clark

Heisman mix:Get ready with Johnny jams

Extra points

JOHNNYFOOTBALLFLASHBACK

Let’s take a tripback in time, all thewayback to ... August,when JohnnyManzielwasnamedTexasA&M’s startingquarterback.Here’s a snapshot of

TheEagle’s coverageofManziel’s exploits on thefield.


Johnny Manziel’s nickname Johnny Footballhas certainly helped the redshirt freshmanget attention in his first season as TexasA&M’s quarterback. But where does it rankwith other sports nicknames? It’s fairlyunique in its simplicity, and really only DonnieBaseball (for former Yankees slugger DonMattingly) or Teddy Ballgame (for Red Soxlegend Ted Williams) have a similar tone.

Here are 10 great nicknames from football,baseball and basketball. We skipped thosethat are synonymous with the person’s name(like Magic Johnson) or just rhyme with thefirst name (Hakeem the Dream).

BASEBALL1. The Wizard of Oz (Ozzie Smith)2. Say Hey Kid (Willie Mays)3. Hammerin’ Hank (Hank Aaron)4. Mr. October (Reggie Jackson)5. Oil Can (Dennis Boyd)6. Charlie Hustle (Pete Rose)7. The Rocket (Roger Clemens)8. The Big Unit (Randy Johnson)9. The Sultan of Swat (Babe Ruth)10. Pudge (Ivan Rodriguez)

BASKETBALL1. Air Jordan (Michael Jordan)2. Dr. J (Julius Erving)3. Iceman (George Gervin)4. Round Mound of Rebound (CharlesBarkley)5. The Admiral (David Robinson)6. Pistol Pete (Pete Maravich)7. The Big O (Oscar Robertson)8. The Mailman (Karl Malone)9. The Human Highlight Film (DominiqueWilkins)10. Chocolate Thunder (Darryl Dawkins)

FOOTBALL1. Crazy Legs (Elroy Hirsch)2. Too Tall (Ed Jones)3. Night Train (Dick Lane)4. The Galloping Ghost (Red Grange)5. Mean Joe Greene (Joe Greene)6. Broadway Joe (Joe Namath)7. White Shoes (Billy Johnson)8. The Refrigerator (William Perry)9. The Playmaker (Michael Irvin)10. Prime Time (Deion Sanders)

– Rob Clark

Where does ‘Johnny Football’rank in sports nicknames?

ExTrA pOinTS ThecompetitionManti Te’o

NotreDame linebackerNotre Dame senior linebacker Manti Te’o provided the backbone

for a defense that allowed 10.3 points per game this season, topsin the nation.The top-ranked Fighting Irish finished as the only undefeated

team in FBS play at 12-0, earning a berth in the BCS nationalchampionship game against SEC champion Alabama.Te’o, a 6-2, 255-pounder from Hawaii, led Notre Dame with

seven interceptions, which ranked first nationally among lineback-ers and second overall. The Butkus Award winner totaled the samenumber or more interceptions as 33 of the 124 FBS teams. Healso had a team-high 103 tackles, 52 better than the next twoleading tacklers for the Fighting Irish.Notre Dame ranked 11th in the nation in rushing defense at

3.16 yards per carry and allowed only two rushing touchdowns.Te’o would be the first strictly defensive player to win the Heis-

man and the eighth player from Notre Dame to claim the honor.AP file photo

notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o leads all linebackers with seven interceptions this season.

Senior quarterback Collin Klein led the No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats toan 11-1 record, the Big 12 title and a BCS bowl berth against Oregon in theFiesta Bowl.At 6-5 and 226 pounds, Klein drove KSU’s offense as a dual threat. The

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm recipient ran for 890 yards, a total that wouldhave been much greater if not for losing 207 yards in sacks. He completed66 percent of his passes for 2,490 yards and 15 touchdowns. He threw sev-en interceptions, three in the Wildcats’ lone loss to Baylor. Over the middle ofthe season he played six games without throwing an interception.Klein averaged 9.2 yards per pass, sixth in the nation and 0.7 yards per

pass better than Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel. He also had a slightly betterquarterback rating than Manziel, ranking 16th nationally at 156.13 to Man-ziel’s 155.85 for 17th.Klein seemed to be the clear front-runner for the Heisman until Baylor up-

set KSU 52-24 in Waco on Nov. 17.No KSU player has won a Heisman Trophy.

CollinKleinKansas State quarterback

Kansas Statequarterback

Collin Klein threwfor 184 yards anda touchdown and

ran for another103 yards and two

touchdowns tolead the Wildcatsto a 42-24 victoryover Texas, which

won the Big 12title for the

Wildcats.

AP photo


FREE90-Day Trial

on all digitalhearing devices

2010 BusinessPerformance Award

Over 30 Years Experience Caring for the Hearing Needs of the Brazos Valley

Ronny Baker B.S.,A.C.A.2805 Earl Rudder Freeway S.

College Station • 979.680.8808centraltexasent.com


Team Auto1614 E. WashingtonNavasota, TX 77686

936-825-7551

TwoLocations:

Team Ford9965 Highway 6

Navasota, TX 77686

936-825-2225

Where You AlwaysGet a Nice Price!

TeamofNavasota.com

We’re Proud ofOur AggielandQuarterback!

1935:RB JayBerwanger,Chicago1936:EndLarryKelley, Yale1937:QBClint Frank,Yale

1938:QBDaveyO’Brien,TCU1939:RBNileKinnick, Iowa

1940:RBTomHarmon,Michigan1941:RBBruceSmith,Minnesota

1942:RBFrankSinkwich,Georgia

1943:QBAngeloBertelli,NotreDame

1944:QBLesHorvath,OhioState1945:FBDocBlanchard,Army1946:RBGlennDavis, Army

1947:QBJohnLujack,NotreDame1948:RBDoakWalker,SouthernMethodist

1949:ELeonHart,NotreDame1950:RBVic Janowicz,OhioState1951:RBDickKazmaier, Princeton1952:RBBillyVessels,Oklahoma

1953:RB JohnLattner,NotreDame1954:FBAlanAmeche,Wisconsin

1955:RBHowardCassady,OhioState

1956:QBPaulHornung,NotreDame

1957:RBJohnDavidCrow,TexasA&M

1958:RBPeteDawkins,Army1959:RBBillyCannon,

LouisianaState1960:RB JoeBellino,Navy

1961:RBErnieDavis, Syracuse

1962:QBTerryBaker,OregonState1963:QBRoger Staubach,Navy

1964:QB JohnHuarte,NotreDame1965:RBMikeGarrett,USC

1966:QBSteveSpurrier,Florida1967:QBGaryBeban,UCLA1968:RBO.J. Simpson,USC

1969:FBSteveOwens,Oklahoma1970:QBJimPlunkett, Stanford1971:QBPatSullivan,Auburn

1972:RB JohnnyRodgers,Nebraska1973:RB JohnCappelletti,

PennState1974:RBArchieGriffin,OhioState1975:RBArchieGriffin,OhioState1976:RBTonyDorsett, Pittsburgh1977:RBEarlCampbell, Texas1978:RBBilly Sims,Oklahoma1979:RBCharlesWhite,USC1980:RBGeorgeRogers,

SouthCarolina1981:RBMarcusAllen,USC1982:RBHerschelWalker,

Georgia1983:RBMikeRozier,Nebraska

1984:QBDougFlutie,BostonCollege

1985:RBBoJackson,Auburn1986:QBVinnyTestaverde,Miami1987:WRTimBrown,NotreDame

1988:RBBarry Sanders,OklahomaState

1989:QBAndreWare,Houston

1990:QBTyDetmer,BrighamYoung

1991:WRDesmondHoward,Michigan

1992:QBGinoTorretta,Miami1993:QBCharlieWard,

FloridaState1994:RBRashaanSalaam,Colorado1995:RBEddieGeorge,OhioState

1996:QBDannyWuerffel,Florida

1997:CBCharlesWoodson,Michigan

1998:RBRickyWilliams,Texas1999:RBRonDayne,Wisconsin

2000:QBChrisWeinke,FloridaState

2001:QBEricCrouch,Nebraska2002:QBCarsonPalmer,USC

2003:QBJasonWhite,Oklahoma2004:QBMattLeinart,USC**2005:RBReggieBush,USC

2006:QBTroySmith,OhioState2007:QBTimTebow,Florida

2008:QBSamBradford,Oklahoma2009:TBMarkIngram,Alabama2010:QBCameronNewton,

Auburn2011:QBRobertGriffin III, Baylor

Bold:University in theSoutheasternConference

**Bush forfeited hisHeisman title in 2010

Heisman Trophy winners: 1935-2011

UGA sports communication South Carolina athletics

UGA sports communication

Auburn University

The Birmingham News

LSU athletics

Florida athletic association

Auburn University

Frank Sinkwich

Pat Sullivan

Steve SPurrier

Billy cannon

GeorGe roGerS

herSchelwalker

Bo JackSon

Mark inGraM


www.firstvictoria.com

979.260.3252 t Bryan - 29th St.

979.779.5080 t Bryan - Villa Maria Rd.

979.693.1063 t College Station - Southwest Pkwy.

979.774.1700 t College Station - Copperfield Pkwy.

979.690.4780 t College Station - Arrington Rd.

979.279.3438 t Hearne - 4th St.

facebook.com/FirstVictoria twitter.com/FirstVictoria

M. Russell Marshall ‘81President & CEO

James R. McCan ‘80Board of Directors

John Burton ‘62Board of Directors

Lane Keller ‘80Board of Directors

Craig Friemel ‘79EVP – Credit Administration

John Zacek ‘82EVP – Regional Lending Manager

Tim Jones ’82EVP – Regional Lending Manager

Kevin Kaplan ‘85EVP – Regional Lending Manager

Royce Moran ‘80SVP – Commercial Lending Manager

Ken Callarman ‘76SVP – Commercial Lending

Melanie Weischwill ‘96SVP – Brokerage Manager

Kathy Brookhouser ‘78SVP – Manager Finance & Accounting

Larry Ford ‘77SVP – Lending

Jim Armstrong ‘76VP – Lending

Bill Hailey ‘81VP – Lending

Melissa Etheredge ’95VP – Lending

Tony Knebel ‘00VP – Lending

John A. Flynn III ‘01VP – Lending

Amy Saralecos Ehlert ‘03VP – Lending

Blake Laird ‘08AVP – Lending

Wesley Ball ‘05VP – Ag Lending

Trice Connally ‘05VP – Agribusiness Lending

Don Allison ‘83VP – Trust

Foster Ullmann ‘85EVP – Brokerage

Rob Angerstein ‘76SVP – Trust

Ed Pfeil ‘81SVP – Trust

Shelia Daniel Dierschke ‘84SVP – Trust

Fred Lykes ‘84SVP – Trust

Darla Stocker ‘82VP – Cash Management

Brad Muchow ‘02AVP – Brokerage

Lucy Martinez ‘89AVP – Audit

Debbie Villafranca Escalante ‘82VP – Banking Center Manager

Jesse Molina ‘01AVP – Banking Center Manager

Jason Mikeska ‘13Banking Officer – Brokerage

Congratulations & Good Luck fromFirst Victoria!This weekend, we’re rooting for our Quarterback.

Documents

Johnny Manziel: Road to the Heisman