Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is not your average run of the mill quarterback. Entering year two as a starter in the NFL, he's become a hot topic both on and off the field.
Baker Reagan Mayfield was born on April 14, 1995, in Austin Texas. His path to the NFL began in the Lone Star State before landing in Cleveland. It’s a journey that explains his absolute determination to shut down his naysayers.
Let's dive in and share five things that you very well may not have known about the Browns' quarterback.
5. Winning Came Early For Baker Mayfield
For those who wondered if Mayfield could win at the professional level, know that winning came early and often. At Lake Travis High School in Austin, he went 25-2 over two seasons as the starting quarterback. In those two seasons, he compiled some impressive statistics, throwing for 6,255 passing yards and completing 429 passes on 666 attempts. He’d throw for 67 touchdowns against eight interceptions and rush for 593 yards.
Even with all that, few big-time schools came calling.
4. Not Once, But Twice A Walk-On
The world-class chip Mayfield carries on his shoulder is born out of the snubs he feels he’s endured. From big-time schools to the media, Mayfield knows how to carry a grudge.
Perhaps the biggest is reserved for Gary Patterson and TCU. His two preferred destinations were Oklahoma and the Horned Frogs coming out of high school. Mayfield has said that the lack of a scholarship offer was why he ended having to walk on at Texas Tech, a school that would prove to only be a one year deal.
Despite earning Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors, Kliff Kingsbury advised him that no scholarship would be available to him in the upcoming spring. He would have to walk on again, but this time at Oklahoma.
3. The Car Accident That Brought Baker Mayfield Closer To His Mom
In 2015, Gina Mayfield was in a car accident that claimed the life of three people and seriously injured Gina and her sister. The accident, which happened in South Carolina, was one that not just brought the family closer together, but provided some perspective on life.
”You don't know what everybody else is going through — the grumpy person behind the counter or whatever,” Gina Mayfield said. “Everybody has their challenges, and some of them are more visible than others. Having that empathy for people, which is something that I've tried to teach the boys, I'm hoping that they see that.”
2. He Keeps A List Of Media People
Whether it was having to walk-on at both Texas Tech and then Oklahoma, the doubters have been persistent. So much so, that Mayfield keeps a list of the naysayers.
From Colin Cowherd of FOX Sports to a local radio guy in Cleveland named Damon Kecman, Mayfield knows who his haters are, and he isn't afraid to engage.
You got it big fella! At least tag me in all your stuff.
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) December 29, 2017
Smart or not, the fuel he draws from the doubters has mostly served him well. It seems to inspire. While a fair argument can be made that the additional weight added to an already gigantic chip on his shoulder could grow too heavy, it's working.
At least for now.
1. Once An Oklahoma Fan, Always An Oklahoma Fan
In retrospect, Mayfield should have passed on TCU as they did on him, skipped Texas Tech, and walked on at Oklahoma. After all and despite growing up in Austin, home of the Texas Longhorns, he was also a Sooners fan.
Then again, the story wouldn't be as good.
The walk-on who would eventually win the Heisman Trophy has had the biggest stage to prove the critics and the haters wrong at nearly every turn.
Now, as the starting quarterback for an up and coming Cleveland Browns franchise who has found winning elusive, Mayfield is a perfect fit. If history is an indicator, the success he's found along the way from Austin to Lubbock, and Norman to Cleveland, could result in good fortune for a franchise in dire need of a winner.
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