( CNN ) -- Texas A & M freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel on Saturday was named the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner , making history . Manziel , whose exploits led to his being dubbed `` Johnny Football , '' is the first freshman to win the Heisman , college football 's most prestigious award . `` This is a moment I 've dreamed about since I 've been a kid , running around the backyard pretending to be Doug Flutie , pretending I was throwing Hail Marys to my dad , '' Manziel said , gesturing to Flutie , the former Boston College quarterback who was onstage with other previous Heisman winners . `` It 's such an honor to represent Texas A & M and my teammates here tonight , '' he told the audience at the Best Buy Theater in New York . `` I wish they could be on the stage with me . '' He bested a field of finalists that included Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te ' o and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein . Roland Martin : The legend of `` Johnny Football '' grows . Manziel amassed 43 touchdowns rushing and passing this year , and his 4,600 yards smashed the Southeastern Conference record for total offense . But beyond the numbers , what put Manziel on the map was his play in Texas A & M 's improbable November win against Alabama , ranked No.1 in the nation at the time . The Aggies were thought not to have much chance of success in the first season in the SEC , but largely because of Manziel 's play , they finished the regular season 10-2 and will be playing Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl on January 4 . In smashing through the underclassman barrier , Manziel achieved a feat that eluded past freshman stars Georgia 's Herschel Walker , Virginia Tech 's Michael Vick and Oklahoma 's Adrian Peterson . Walker ( 1980 ) and Vick ( 1999 ) both came in third in Heisman voting as freshmen , and Peterson ( 2004 ) finished second . ( Walker did go on to win the trophy as a junior , in 1982 . ) Manziel received 474 first-place votes , cast by past winners and members of the media , to 321 for Te ' o and 60 for Klein . Other vote-getters were Southern Cal wide receiver Marquis Lee and Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller . Like the freshman Manziel , the other two finalists represented potential firsts among Heisman winners : Te ' o would have been the first exclusively defensive player to win the trophy and Klein the first Kansas State player . CNN 's Kristi Ramsay contributed to this report .
`` I wish they could be on the stage with me , '' Manziel says of teammates . Manziel is the first freshman to win the prestigious award . Other finalists were Notre Dame 's Manti Te ' o and Kansas State 's Collin Klein .