Johnny Football

Book excerpt: An inside look at one of today’s most compelling athletes and his influence on college football—in Texas and across the nation. It’s no secret that Texas is the capital of legendary football players. From Sammy Baugh to Earl Campbell to Robert Griffin III and scores of others in between, the Lone Star State has produced a heavily decorated list of athletic phenoms—but none has put on a display as explosive and as sudden as that of the kid they call “Johnny Football.” In Johnny Football, Texas sportswriter Mike Shropshire recounts Johnny Manziel’s extraordinary freshman season with Texas A&M in 2012—during which his unparalleled breakout performance made him the first freshman to ever win the illustrious Heisman Trophy—and follows Manziel and the rest of the Aggie squad through the much-hyped 2013 gridiron campaign. In Shropshire’s signature witty, entertaining writing style, the book tells the complete story of an unlikely star who came out of rural obscurity to lead the Aggies to a top-ten ranking in the national polls in 2012 and a victory in the postseason Cotton Bowl. But make no mistake: the tale of “Johnny Football” is larger and deeper than that of one star player. It is the narrative of how a kid from nowhere, with his country-boy values, restored vigor and pride to the Spirit of Aggieland (Gig ’Em!), and this celebration of the A&M faithful and Texas’ gridiron fanaticism is sure to make Johnny Football a treasured tale for years to come.