The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award

Austin native Baker Mayfield grew up an Oklahoma fan in the heart of Longhorn country and despite his love of crimson and cream he still emulated the great Earl Campbell, a Texas legend, while playing football as youngster.

Mayfield, OU’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, is now part of Campbell’s family after being named the fifth annual Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recipient during a gala on Wednesday at Willow Brook Country Club.

“I am so honored to be presented this award,” said Mayfield, via Skype from California, where he was training for the upcoming NFL Draft. “Even though I grew up an OU fan, I would always pretend to be Earl Campbell when playing football in my backyard, running over people.”

He is the fourth quarterback to win the award presented by the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce and SPORTyler. Previous winners were Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty (2013), TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin (2014), Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. (2015) and Texas running back D’Onta Foreman (2016).

The Tyler Rose himself and 1977 Heisman Trophy winner from Texas, Earl Campbell, and his sons, Tyler and Christian Campbell, were on hand to present the honor.

“I’m honored to present the award to Baker Mayfield,” Earl Campbell said. “All of these players had an amazing season. They all deserved their place as a finalist.”

Finalists attending were Southern California running back Ronald Jones II (McKinney North High School, McKinney) and Auburn sophomore quarterback Jarrett Stidham (Stephenville). J.T. Barrett IV, a senior quarterback at Ohio State from Wichita Falls (Rider HS), was represented by his father, J.T. Barrett III and two his aunts. The fourth finalist was James Washington, Oklahoma senior wide receiver, from Stamford. Washington sent a note to the gathering.

Ron Franklin, former ESPN announcer and voice of the Houston Oilers, was the emcee for the event. A video highlighting Campbell’s career from when he led John Tyler High School to the 1973 state football championship to his time at Texas to the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints was shown.

A senior from Austin, Mayfield is one of the Sooners most decorated athletes in school history — winning not only the Heisman Trophy, but also the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Maxwell Award and the Davey O’Brien Award.

He is also unanimous first-team All America this season. He led the nation in completion percentage (.705), passing efficiency rating (198.9), yards per pass attempt (11.5) and pass of plays of 20-plus yards (79). He also ranked second in passing touchdowns (43), passing yards (4,627) and yards per completion (16.2), and fifth in passing yards (330.5 per game) and total offense (352.7 ypg).

The Lake Travis High School graduate, who walked on Texas Tech before transferring to Oklahoma, completed 285-of-404 passes this year for a career-high 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He has also rushed for 311 yards and another five scores with no fumbles lost.

Mayfield threw a TD pass in a Big 12-record 40 consecutive games (every contest of his OU career), which is the third-longest streak in FBS history. He also threw at least two TD passes in 27 straight contests.  

 Venisha Harmon, a Tyler Lee High School graduate and who is attending UT Dallas, was on hand to thank Campbell and the sponsors for her Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award academic scholarship.

Among those in attendance were Tyler mayor Martin Heines and his wife, Michelle, super agent Leigh Steinberg and former John Tyler, Baylor and NFL standout Gary Baxter.

Also present at the banquet were the award sponsors, which include: City of Tyler, BMW of Tyler, Brookshire Grocery Co., Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System, Clements Fluids Management LLC, Kitchens Unique, Patterson Commercial Property Group, R.W. Fair Foundation, Southside Bank, TDI Air Conditioning/James and Sharon Wynne, Chesley and Ted W. Walters, Austin Bank, Azalea Orthopedics, Texas Spine and Joint Hospital, Tyler Morning Telegraph, Prothro, Wilhelmi & Co., Tyler Junior College, and University of Texas at Tyler.

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, announced in 2012 by the Tyler Chamber and SPORTyler, recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity; specifically tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.

In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four year Division I Texas college.

NOTES: Dr. Howard Patterson, UT Tyler athletic director, gave the invocation and before the prayer noted, “UT Tyler is not starting a football program despite what you may have heard today.” … The voting committee co-chaired by Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman, and Phil Hicks, Tyler Morning Telegraph, included 40 broadcasters, commentators and journalists from across the country as well as fans and the previous winners, Bryce Petty (2013), Trevone Boykin (2014), Greg Ward Jr. (2015) and D’Onta Foreman (2016). … The 2017 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Committee includes: Earl Campbell, Christian Campbell, Tyler Campbell, Henry Bell, Ed Broussard, Nelson Clyde, Dr. Tim Drain, Ted Gangi, Martin Heines, Dr. William Lockett, Dr. Howard Patterson, Chris Simons, Cindy Smoak, Craig Smoak, Richard Solomon and Walter Wilhelmi.