Dave Martin/Associated Press
Johnny Manziel, eluding the grasp of defensive back Deion Belue, helped lead Texas A&M to an upset of Alabama, then No. 1, in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 10.
COLLEGE STATION, Tex. — A long day spent with Johnny Manziel's family ends in the secluded corner of a raucous party. It is late enough that Manziel's grandmother Pat really gets going, talking about how a Manziel has never met a stranger, or always fights for a friend, about the good old boys who never grew up.
And then she tells a story. When Manziel's father, John Paul Manziel, was young, he fought a boy named Clay every day in the schoolyard. Finally Pat got fed up and had the two boys settle their feud, once and for all, in her front yard.
She leaned against a post and watched, as Johnny's grandfather, known as Big Paul, drove up and said, "Hit him with the right, John Paul!"
"Oh no, no, no, I got this handled," Pat said, now cheering on Clay. "All right Clay, you get up and hit him with your left! Get him in the gut!"
Soon, Clay gave up, conceding defeat. The two never fought again. Problem solved, the Manziel way.
Yes, John Paul was a Manziel. Like his father, Big Paul, who claims he was the cockfighting world champion in 1983. And like his son, Johnny Manziel, the redshirt freshman quarterback for No. 9 Texas A&M and the Heisman Trophy front-runner heading into Saturday's game against Missouri, a sudden star both in his father's mischievous image and labeled with the all-American nickname Johnny Football.
But because he is a Manziel, it takes friends, coaches and family to keep young Johnny on the straight and narrow. They all report to John Paul, 45, who vows he will make a man of his son, even if Manziel's boyish persona — the carefree way he plays — is a large part of his appeal.
"He's got a big smile, he's dynamic, he's unpredictable; I think that's why everybody likes him," John Paul said, during a round of golf last Saturday morning before the Aggies played Sam Houston State. "Growing up as kids, who didn't want to be like that?"
It was a chilly morning, and John Paul's back was tight. He plays golf before his son's games to relax, to make friends and maybe some money. He said he thought he could have been a professional golfer had his parents held him accountable — a big reason he tries to make certain Johnny stays focused.
On this day his foursome included his daughter's boyfriend; a golfing buddy from his hometown, Tyler, Tex.; and Jim Muncie, a good friend from Kerrville, Tex., where Johnny Manziel's legend first began to grow.
Muncie is the unofficial president of the Johnny Football fan club, an older brother figure more than, say, an uncle. When Manziel played at Kerrville Tivy High School, Muncie called the football games on the radio, often singing his version of "Johnny B. Goode" on the air.
Down at Kerrville Tivy there's a quarterback
He runs through opposing defenses like a maniac
He runs 40 yards on the ground
Throws the football through the air for another touchdown
Go Go
Go Johnny Go
Go
Busloads of people came from all over Texas to watch Manziel play. Antler Stadium, overlooking the Texas hill country where people came to fish, hunt and retire, overflowed. A sleepy town came alive. Stuart Cunyus, a local sportswriter and photographer, tried to capture it all. How Manziel scored six touchdowns in his first start. Or the time he handed the ball off to a smaller teammate, grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him into the end zone so he could score just once. Only Manziel was able to explain what he did. He was smart and articulate, fun to talk with, Cunyus said. It is a shame, Cunyus added, that Manziel has not been able to show that, because of Texas A&M football team rules prohibiting freshmen players from speaking to the news media. (The Heisman ceremony is Dec. 8, and Texas A&M announced this week that Manziel will be made available to the news media starting next week.)
"After his last game, I shook his hand and said, 'Thanks, because it's been so much fun,' " Cunyus said.
Susan Beachy contributed research.
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