Baker Mayfield's equipment donation helps prep program to state title

TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield rubbed both arms with his hands as the story was being related, the one where his timely donation turned around the fortunes of a high school football team that lacked the necessary equipment to start the season.

It’s the nearly made-for-Hollywood script of how Space Coast High in Cocoa went from 1-8 a year ago to 10-3 and the first state championship in program history.

“I’ve got chills thinking about it,” Mayfield said.

Jake Owens had been Space Coast’s head coach from 2012-17 but stepped away for a few years, moving to Kentucky and starting a young family. He returned to his old job to find the program in disrepair.

“Obviously, the program was struggling,” Owens said. “I think in those six years they’d only won, like, four games. When I walked in, a struggling program like that, nothing was really being done behind the scenes as far as equipment and stuff goes. It was a lot of older equipment.”

Stephanie Starkey, whose son, Jacob, plays linebacker and long snapper for the Vipers, graduated from the University of Oklahoma and had followed Mayfield closely. She knew about the Baker and Emily Mayfield Foundation, and reached out to the couple for help.

The Mayfields responded by donating $17,900 for equipment, including 70 Riddell SpeedFlex helmets that retail for nearly $500 each, along with shoulder pads.

“There was kind of narrative that we were not going to have a season,” Owens said. “That’s not the case. We were going to play no matter what. But it was in bad shape, and that’s obviously expensive. When the program ended last year, there were only 40-something kids. They didn’t have a need for a lot of equipment.

“When I took over in February, there was a huge influx. We had over 70 kids come out. Not only did we have older equipment, but we also didn’t have enough. We were going to make sure we had it one way or another, but it’s expensive and funds are hard to come by in high school.”

The team was among the youngest Owens had ever coached. His quarterback was a freshman. Four of the five offensive linemen were sophomores, along with the top receiver.

Building a culture of winning is usually the most difficult task for any head coach. But Owens said the players were galvanized by the fact that an NFL quarterback had invested so generously in their future.

“We were just floored,” Owens said. “It’s been an incredibly humbling experience to have someone like Baker to reach out and say, ‘Hey, what do you need to get this done?’ I don’t think they know how much of an impact they’ve made.

“We knew we had a talented team. We knew if we did things the right way and we built the right culture, I’d won there before. I have an incredible coaching staff. They knew what it takes to win. It’s one of those incredible things that came together like a perfect storm, and Baker and Emily are a big part of that because it took so much stress out of that situation so the focus could be on football.”

There is some irony that it was Mayfield who rescued the Vipers. Owens is an unabashed Cincinnati Bengals fan and rooted against Mayfield when he played for the Cleveland Browns. In fact, Owens is a Bengals season ticket holder who still hosts a podcast dedicated to talking about the team.

“I will tell you that I have never rooted for another team or another player outside of Cincinnati,” Owens said. “That changed after this year. I’ve become a huge Baker Mayfield fan. He changes people’s lives.

“At the end of the day, winning is very important at every level. What Baker has done more than anything is shown our players what it means to pass it along. To pay it forward. That’s going to impact our players. When they get that opportunity, they will remember that. What they’ve shown our boys is you’re never too big to help out.”

Mayfield’s play on the field was inspiring as well. Starkey held a few watch parties for Bucs games on Sundays.

The Mayfields’ gift ignited a Space Coast team that went 7-3 in the regular season, then advanced past Tradition Prep and Umatilla in the playoffs. “Snake Pit” signs, referencing the team’s home field, started popping up on lawns and in store windows all over town.

Last weekend, the Vipers defeated Bell, 21-14, at home to claim the Sunshine State Athletic Association Atlantic 1A championship.

The team that didn’t have enough equipment is now being sized for championship rings.

“I tell them all the time, don’t forget about the journey it took to get here, and Baker and Emily will always be part of that journey,” Owens said.

Standing inside One Buc Place during his weekly news conference Thursday, Mayfield could not stop smiling while thinking about another football team he already had helped win a championship this season.

“It’s just a cool story,” he said. “I have an unbelievable platform to be able to give back, and obviously they were in the predicament of probably not having a season. Not just for the varsity. The JV, they didn’t have enough equipment. So, just being able to give back and then seeing that turn around.

“All we did was get some helmets. They did the rest. They turned it around, they believed in it, and that’s what football is all about. It’s teaching life lessons, how to handle adversity, how to deal with it and push forward. Congrats to them. It’s pretty special.”