Travis Swanson accomplished All-American and All-SEC status while playing center at the University of Arkansas and was drafted into the NFL, but he never expected the phone call he received about a month ago.
Swanson, who retired from the NFL in 2019, was informed his high school No. 65 jersey was to be the first number to be retired in the 43-year history of Kingwood (Texas) High School.
“You get that phone call and you try and process it and let it marinate as long as it can, and it’s hard to fathom,” Swanson said. “It means the world. I really don’t think it will hit me until we get down there.”
The ceremony will be held Friday prior to the Mustangs’ home game against Humble. He’ll be joined by his wife Emily, his two daughters, parents Todd and Gina and brother Conner.
“Very surreal. It really hasn’t hit me yet,” Swanson said. “It really hasn’t genuinely hit me yet. I think the gravity of the situation and what this whole thing has come to, because it was never ever the intention to come to this.”
Sharing the moment with his family and daughters will be priceless, he said.
“I think the thing that means the most to me, I always relate things back to my family, my girls,” he said.
Swanson also said he hopes his story inspires students that roam the hallways of Kingwood.
“I hope at least one kid, hopefully a couple of kids over the next course of time, can see that and maybe go for something that they otherwise wouldn’t have,” he said.
A lightly-recruited prospect in high school, Swanson had an opportunity to attend one last summer camp going into his senior season with hopes of earning a scholarship. He chose to attend an Arkansas camp instead of one at Baylor in July 2008 because of the chance to play in the SEC.
He earned a scholarship after impressing then-Arkansas defensive ends coach Kirk Botkin and offensive line coach Mike Summers.
A few weeks later, he committed to the Hogs over scholarship offers from Arizona, Kansas, Houston, Texas Tech and Army, and eventually signed with the Razorbacks as a part of the 2009 recruiting class.
He said he had a simple goal after signing with Arkansas.
“I really didn’t want football to end,” Swanson said. “I enjoyed it so much. I just don’t want this thing to end. How do we continue it? You go play college. Sweet. How do we do that? Go to camps. Cool. The seed planted into my head was I just don’t want this it end. This is fun. I enjoy it.
“Today, you look back on the watch we went on and the history, and it’s like it’s insane that it got to this point.”
Swanson went on to be a four-year starter in Fayetteville and earned first-team USA Today All-American and Associated Press All-SEC honors in 2013.
He was taken in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions and started 53 of 65 games He played in four years with the Lions and one year with the Miami Dolphins before announcing his retirement.
Swanson switched to No. 64 at Arkansas after finding out veteran offensive tackle Demarcus Love wore 65.
“I wanted 65 when I came here, but Demarcus Love had the number,” Swanson said. “I was like what’s the closest? Well, Mitch [Petrus] had 66. I was, I’ll go 64.”
He found the offensive line rooms at Arkansas and Detroit to be similar, which aided his development.
“When I went from Arkansas to that first year with the Detroit, it was the very same atmosphere,” Swanson said. “You had a lot of veterans in the group. Guys that were very open to kind of, ‘Hey, we’re going to take you under our wings. Here’s things you do and don’t do.’ They had no reason to do that. They could’ve looked at it as a competitive type-situation and not talk to me at all. But both of those rooms did and it was such a huge help.
“Not only on the field but off the field as a well. I still try to apply a lot of things I learned from both of those groups today.”
He and his wife settled in Northwest Arkansas after his retirement from football and joined his parents, who moved to the area in 2015. Swanson, who is a financial advisor for Northwestern Mutual, said his high school days helped shape him.
“My time at Kingwood I think truly set me up for my career at Arkansas and really laid a good framework and ground work, I think for the career I had,” he said. “It didn’t happen, just because I think everything happens for a reason.”