The dichotomy of humble, flamboyant Oklahoma star quarterback Baker Mayfield
You may be surprised by the side you don't normally see from this Heisman Trophy contender
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9 min read
AUSTIN, Texas -- I-35 runs from the United States-Mexico border all the way up to Duluth, Minnesota, splitting the mainland in half. A large portion of the interstate from Austin to Dallas is a beat-up, construction-clogged, perpetually under-funded wasteland with bad traffic and no view. It is the opposite of the scenic route.
And to get from Norman, Oklahoma, to the Lakeway, Texas, area west of Austin, you unfortunately have to traverse well north of 300 miles on it. Give or take, it's about six hours, many of them miserable. If you're lucky.
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield drives it as often as he can.
Every reason to return is important when it comes to his hometown, but Mayfield had a special motivation three years ago in December 2014. Giovanni Mirizzi was turning six and having a football-themed birthday party at Craig O's Pizza. Gio is the nephew of Mayfield's high school coach at Lake Travis, Hank Carter. Gio was also Mayfield's first -- and remains his biggest -- fan.
After every Cavaliers game, Gio needed to go see Mayfield, say hello and take a picture. The Mirizzi family even visited Mayfield during Oklahoma's road trip to TCU last year.
"When Baker goes to the NFL, my son says he wants his jersey," said Christy Mirizzi, Gio's mother, "... even if he goes to the Cowboys."
So Christy messaged Mayfield on Facebook, inviting him to come to her son's pizza party -- if he could find the time.
"I figured Baker would be coming in town for the holidays, so I told him about Gio's party," she said. "Baker said he would plan to be there."
There was a problem, however. Oklahoma was finishing its fall semester, and the Sooners were still wrapping up practices. On the eve of Gio's party, Mayfield messaged Mirizzi and said the team had changed practice time. He was unsure if he could still make it, but reassured her his Chevrolet Tahoe was packed and that he would do everything he could to be there.
"How late will Gio's party go 'til?" he asked.
"Until you get here," she replied.
That night, Mirizzi told her disappointed son she didn't think Mayfield would be making it. It was a long shot, after all. The life of a college student is busy enough without tacking on all the responsibilities of a football player on a team routinely vying for Big 12 championships and playoff spots. Even in his transfer season he was in-demand. Practice, lifts, film, more practice, class, homework, games, practices, lifts, film, more practice, class, homework, games.
But the following night, with the sun setting, the lights of a Chevy Tahoe flashed as they rolled into the Craig O's parking lot. Mayfield had made it. Gio was floored to see his favorite player and good friend, who was decked out in his Oklahoma jersey -- perfect for the theme -- and ready to party with kids one-third his age.
Now that the big surprised had arrived, what did he do? Give a speech? Sign autographs?
"I just hung out, played catch with them," Mayfield said.
It was such a simple act that it almost doesn't seem like a big deal. Yet, it's for that exact reason that absolutely was one.
"How many college kids would come, on their first time home, and hang out with a bunch of 6- and 7-year-olds? There were no cameras around. I didn't ask him to do that," Carter said. "That's the kind of guy he is. He's always been like that. That's why people around here root for him."
The bond between Mayfield and his family -- both literal and figurative -- all started with a simple game of hide-and-seek, two piles of dirt and home-cooked meals. For one of the most public student-athletes in college sports, it's what you don't see that made Mayfield who he is today.
Hide-and-seek was the Mayfield family's favorite game, and games were a big part of their lives. In fact, it was such a frontrunner that it became less of a game and more of a tradition in that household. It was played outside -- as was practically every activity for the Mayfields -- and ultra-competitive but always good-natured and rooted in fun.
The dirt was something James and Gina Mayfield hauled in for their sons. They dumped two heaping piles of it onto an empty lot next to their house where Baker, older brother Matt and their friends would ride their bikes BMX-style until the sun went down while Gina recorded video of their jumps and tricks.
And then the family would eat. Sometimes with friends, more often as a single group. The Mayfields were always cooking together in the kitchen or out on the grill. James would fire up steaks, or Gina would cook up a pot of one of Baker's favorites, chicken spaghetti.
"We had a bread machine, too, for pizza night," Gina said. "I would toss the dough up into the air just like in the restaurants. Baker loved being in the kitchen."
Baker Mayfield's time with his mother has already resulted in a mastery of breakfast foods. "It's the easiest" he said.
Now, it's about following step-by-step instructions from HelloFresh for Mayfield as he develops his own game in the kitchen. Lord knows he's found it everywhere else.
"I don't know if you use that, but it's pretty fun." Mayfield said. "That's how I've learned how to cook. But I'm not nearly as good as mom."
Of course not. Nothing beats mama Mayfield's home cooking -- and nothing ever will.
That's part of what draws Mayfield back to the Lake Travis area. That and the scenery. "It's always great weather," he said. It's true, especially in mid-October when the summer heat has worn off enough that you can comfortably watch the clouds drift over the rolling greenery and an infinite horizon.
Mayfield also goes back to his old stomping grounds to visit his coaches and watch games whenever he has the opportunity.
"There is a strong family foundation that the coaches built at that high school," Mayfield said. "We're a very tight-knit group, and I think that's why they're so successful still because they have the same values."
The Cavaliers are a state powerhouse having won six state titles -- last year's 6A championshipand five straight 4A crowns from 2007-11 -- and producing familiar names like SMU coach Chad Morris, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer, and Gatorade Athlete of the Year Garrett Gilbert.
With Heisman Trophy votes and a College Football Playoff appearance, Mayfield has experienced the most success of the recent string of big-name quarterbacks departing the program, but he knows it's the team that made him, not the other way around.
"I like going to see the coaches and see the people who supported me and made an impact. I like to see how they're doing, and I'll update them on how I'm doing. It's the little things like that you miss. You look back on it later, and it's quality time that you don't always appreciate in the moment."
It's the little moments that Carter remembers about Mayfield. Ask him about his former star signal caller, and he can recount story after story of all the small things Mayfield did to stand out.
"He was at ease with adults," Carter said. "He'd get his breakfast and come hang out in the coach's office in the morning."
Carter and Mayfield would commiserate about their fantasy teams, family, baseball -- Mayfield's first love at age 3 -- and everything in between.
There were big moments, too, like the time Mayfield helped send off the Lake Travis High School band as they left to compete for the state championship.
"It's kind of corny, but we thought it'd be a good time to show some support for a group that supports us every week," Carter said. "Baker was leading the chants, just like he would be in the huddle or in the locker room."
Another one of those big moments came in 2014 when Lake Travis went on the road to Del Valle. Mayfield came down from Norman during a bye and delivered the pre-game locker room speech for his former team. The Cavaliers won 55-0.
And during the holidays? Mayfield gets all dressed up in his ugliest ugly Christmas sweater, then heads over to school.
"Picture something out of 'Christmas Vacation' with the reindeer on it, something your grandpa would have worn in the '60," Carter said with a smile.
Mayfield's a character, alright. He can thank his mom for his big personality. From the games at his home to those on the gridiron, his boyish joy is always on display.
"He's taken his backyard and translated the joy he felt there to the football field," said Gina. "What you see out there is what he was like as a kid."
That's the side of Baker Mayfield you may not have known. You're familiar with the public-facing one.
He's the shirt that reads "Traitor" stirring the pot just enough for Texas Tech fans to mutter unpleasantries under their breath about their former quarterback.
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) October 29, 2017
He's the pre-game taunting at Baylor.
He's the flag planter.
And he's the dancer.
The bravado that borders on cockiness isn't necessarily a character he plays. That would imply he's acting, and as any professional actor will tell you, that's a skill defined by lying.
What you see is simply Baker Mayfield. All of those things exist in the same person.
"The other part, the flamboyance, that's also what makes Baker ... Baker," explained Gina. "You sort of have to be like that at that level."
You could reasonably say that character trait has been held against Mayfield at times. A kid from the well-to-do part of town who has no problem making himself the center of attention isn't typically high on everyone's list of people for whom to cheer.
That endless reservoir of resentment -- even hate -- has become the source of Mayfield's motivation.
But the residents of a small pocket in west Austin know Mayfield as someone far less outrageous. Boisterous, sure, but thoughtful and sincere.
When Gina and her sister were seriously injured in a car wreck that killed three in April 2015, others rallied around a suffering Mayfield family. With his mother halfway across the country, Mayfield flew out to see her. He was there to help her take her first steps after the accident. He was there to make her laugh.
Ask anyone who knows him, and they will tell you to a person that humor has always been one of Mayfield's strongest qualities. But things were truly tough when he took his next trip home.
"I was home in May all the time and she wasn't there -- and I think that was worse," he said. "It was me, my brother and my dad at home and she wasn't there. It was tough because she wasn't able to travel back home until later in May and then I had to go back to school again.
"Guys in the community -- the best friends that I still have now -- they try to distract me a little bit. Family and friends were were making home-cooked meals and bringing them over."
That's the give and take between Mayfield and the town where he was raised.
"The things he does behind the scenes, he does because he wants to," Gina said.
"He's always shown such pride in his community and where he comes from," Carter added. "And to us, that's like giving back."
