NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – The Space Coast Vipers football team experienced an unforgettable moment on Feb. 2 when they met University of Oklahoma football legend Baker Mayfield at the Pro Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
It was a significant moment for the high school team, as just five months earlier, the Emily and Baker Mayfield Foundation had donated $17,900 to purchase new equipment. The school in Port St. John, Florida, went on to win its first state championship at the Sunshine State Athletic Association Atlantic 1A football playoffs this past November.
“It was amazing for a team that had only won three games in the last three seasons to win the state championship, but with help from the Emily and Baker Mayfield Foundation, we did!” said OU alumna Stephenie Starkey, whose son plays for the Vipers.
Initially, Starkey observed her son’s team struggling and in need of new equipment. She reached out to the Emily and Baker Mayfield Foundation for help. They responded with a grant that funded new equipment, boosting the team’s confidence and performance, she says.
The story didn’t end there. Three months later, Starkey brought tickets for the team to attend the Pro Bowl. Just days before the game though, the high school players learned that Mayfield had been named as a replacement for fellow OU standout Jalen Hurts, who had just advanced to the Super Bowl. Starkey reached out to the Buccaneers in hopes of arranging a meeting. Late one night, she received an email – Mayfield wanted to meet them.
Starkey recounts the day: “On game day, as the Vipers waited on the field, NFL quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Drake Maye stopped to talk and take photos with all of us. Baker arrived shortly afterward and talked to each child or adult individually and signed the various souvenirs they brought. One of the players gave Baker his purple rubber Viper bracelet. Baker told him that he would wear it during the game. Guess what? He did! You can see it during his touchdown celebration.
“I believe that of all the things Baker did for our team, they were most impressed by him wearing the purple bracelet. He took their gift and honored it, just as they took his gift and did the same,” Starkey said.
About the alumni
Stephenie Starkey, J.D., earned a bachelor’s degree in both political science and Spanish from the University of Oklahoma in 1999. In 2003, she earned a law degree from OU. A native of Lawton, Oklahoma, she resides in Port St. John, Florida.
Baker Mayfield is an NFL quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a former University of Oklahoma standout. He led the Sooners to three consecutive Big 12 championships and set a school record with a 598-yard passing game against Oklahoma State in 2017. That same year, Mayfield became the first walk-on player to win the Heisman Trophy.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
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