Johnny Manziel is leaving College Station, but his legend might live on in a very permanent manner.
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner made Texas A&M football relevant during his two seasons as the Aggies’ starting quarterback, and now one university official wants to honor Manziel by attaching his name to the redeveloped Kyle Field.
Texas A&M regent Jim Schwertner told reporters at Monday’s update on the $450 million renovations at Kyle Field that he hopes the stadium eventually is renamed “Kyle Field: The House That Johnny Built.”
“The last person that we all need to thank, and I’m very serious about this, is Johnny Manziel,” Schwertner said, via ESPN.com. “The stars came together. We talked about this project for a long, long time. But none of us were sure how quick we could pay for this project. And because of a young man by the name of Johnny Manziel, we were able to raise all the money in two months. My vision is someday, I hope, the Aggie Nation will come together and decide that we can revise the name of Kyle Field to Kyle Field, the House That Johnny Built.”
Manziel, the 22nd overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in last week’s NFL draft, led the Aggies to a 20-6 record in their first two seasons in the Southeastern Conference. Manziel’s impact on the program undoubtedly put Texas A&M on the map, and although it’s not ultimately up to Schwertner, he hopes the school will cement the quarterback’s legacy.
“I hope the Aggie Nation will come together and decide that’s something they want to do,” Schwertner said. “That would sure be a real testament about how great that young man was for this university. My vote would be yes, but there are a lot of other folks who will have a vote on what I just said.”
Photo via Twitter/@SEC_Rant
