08/10/2026
The mural at Richard Kazmaier Stadium is complete, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this incredible tribute to one of Maumee High School’s most accomplished alumni!
Created by artist Dean Davis, the mural celebrates Richard “Dick” Kazmaier, Maumee High School Class of 1948, and the remarkable journey that took him from a Maumee Panther to the very top of college football.
While his story began at Maumee High School wearing #21, it was in Princeton’s #42 that Kazmaier became known across the nation. In 1951, he won the Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious individual honor, after leading Princeton through an undefeated season. He also earned All-America honors and the Maxwell Award, led the nation in total offense and passing accuracy, and ultimately became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Princeton later retired #42 in recognition of the extraordinary legacy associated with the number.
But no matter how far his accomplishments took him, Dick Kazmaier never forgot where his story began. In 2007, he entrusted one of college athletics’ most iconic honors - his 1951 Heisman Trophy to Maumee High School. Today, our students have something few high school students anywhere can say: a Heisman Trophy is part of their school’s history and is here because the man who earned it was once a student walking these same halls.
That trophy represents much more than athletic achievement. It is a tangible reminder to every Panther that extraordinary things can begin right here in Maumee.
And we haven’t forgotten #21. Later this fall, a special display featuring Kazmaier’s Maumee High School #21 jersey will be added to the The James Chappius Alumni Center, ensuring that both chapters of his remarkable story - #21 at Maumee and #42 at Princeton - are preserved and celebrated.
For our students, it is a reminder to dream big, work hard and recognize the possibilities that can begin within these walls and on this field. For our alumni, it is a connection across generations - a reminder that every Panther becomes part of a story much larger than themselves. And for our community, it celebrates a hometown legacy that belongs to all of us.
From #21 at Maumee High School to #42 at Princeton University to the 1951 Heisman Trophy, Dick Kazmaier’s journey began as a Panther.
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