Marcus Mariota: Let’s Put A Bow On This
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Thursday, December 18, 2014
Wade Evanson of partner site Oregon Sports News
2014 Heisman winner Marcus Mariota
That’s what it’s all about.
Yep, I’m talking about Marcus Mariota, the Heisman Trophy, and sports the way they should be.
In recent weeks I’ve spoken of, and reminded everyone how special a player and young man Marcus Mariota is. Saturday night, I, fans of the University of Oregon, and people nationwide saw just how special.
In an era of “me first” athletes more concerned with building a brand rather than a reputation worthy of respect, the 80th Heisman Trophy winner provided us all with a moment, as well as a bit of hope for what sports were and still could be for a generation okay with “getting theirs.”
This wasn’t about fame or notoriety, but rather acknowledgement of those responsible for making Marcus who he is, and for the countless people looking for inspiration from one of their own.
He spent the better part of 3 minutes thanking everyone from his teammates, to a lifetime worth of coaches, and finally his parents for providing him the tools to do something he couldn’t have done without them. It seemed it wasn’t, nor ever has been about the player who’s wowed us over the past 3 seasons on the field, but rather everyone else’s role in making such possible.
Yes, as an Oregonian I’m predisposed to liking Marcus Mariota. But one needn’t be tied to the player to appreciate and root for the guy who stood their Saturday night, accepting an award for his performance between the lines, but earning our praise and admiration for his behavior everywhere else.
I looked forward to last Saturday night’s presentation due to its historical value regarding Oregon sports, but will look back on it as a proud moment for sports and everyone who plays them. During a time in which were constantly reminded of the knucklehead behavior both in and surrounding our games, for a few misty-eyed moments I was reminded of what a role model should be, and why our sports heroes can be just that … in spite of what Charles Barkley once said.
Like it or not, kids look up to their sports heroes. It’s a responsibility players have taken lightly in recent years, but one Mariota seems determined to own. He’s polite, generous with his time, and charitable above and beyond. He seems to say all the right things, and more importantly seems to mean them.
For a week now, it’s been all Marcus, all the time. Beginning in Orlando last Thursday, to Baltimore a day later, and ending in New York with the Late Show Monday night, the Oregon signal-caller opened the nation’s eyes to what those in and around the University of Oregon have known for 4 years: The soft-spoken quarterback from St. Louis High School in Hawaii, is pretty special. I’ve known it, you likely knew it, and now the rest of the country that habitually ignores things west of the Mississippi knows it too.
Ask the college football print reporters who tweeted praise following his speech. Ask the syndicated television and radio hosts who’ve gushed about his character. And ask ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso, who could barely compose themselves shortly after Marcus’ heart-felt “thank you” at last weekend’s Heisman presentation. I didn’t need to see or hear any of it to know what we’re lucky enough to have here in the state of Oregon, but I’m glad I did, and I’m glad everyone else is now on the same page.
Thank you Marcus Mariota, for the highlight plays, the way in which you’ve represented Oregon, and the ounce of faith you’ve restored in the people that play the games we all love.
Now, go play some football!
GoLocalPDX partner Oregon Sports News: Since 2011, Oregon Sports News has provided entertaining, hard-hitting local sports news & commentary every weekday. To read more from this author, check out Oregon Sports News by clicking here.
Related Slideshow: Reactions to Mariota Winning The Heisman
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John Canzano
"If you weren't moved by Marcus Mariota's speech, you have a heart of stone," Canzano wrote.
"He was the unusual blend of special athlete and solid human being that too often in our sports world just isn't the case."
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Dennis Dodd
"The rest was history made whole Saturday night. Mariota was named on a record 95 percent of the ballots. That leads to the question: Who didn't vote for him?" Dodd stated.
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Kirk Herbstreit
"You have to be impressed with this young man," Herbstreit said. "There's been no better player this year in college football."
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Lee Corso
"I love this kid's playmaking ability," Corso said.
Corso enthusiastially picked the Ducks to defeat Michigan State in September.
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Ryan Kostecka
Kostecka said Mariota showed he deserves the Heisman during the Michigan State game earlier this year.
"Mariota had, what many consider, his first 'Heisman moment,' when he alluded pressure and flipped the ball to a wide open Royce Freeman for the first down," Kostecka said.
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"Luckily for the shy Mariota, he didn’t need the extra attention," Zac Ellis wrote. "Oregon’s quarterback did enough on his own this season."
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Tim Rohan
Mariota was an inspiration in his home state. He further validated the Oregon football program," Tim Rohan wrote. "And he has become viewed as the N.C.A.A.’s ideal student-athlete, especially after character issues in part defined the previous two Heisman winners, Jameis Winston and Johnny Manziel."
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Michael Weinreb
I have no idea if Mariota will make it as a pro quarterback; of all the alchemical sciences, quarterback evaluation has become the most confounding to me," Weinreb wrote. "Given Mariota's prodigious accuracy (he's thrown six interceptions in the past two years), intelligence and ability to run and throw with an equal measure of grace, I have to imagine he has a good shot."
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Andy Hutchins
"Mariota became the most definitive top-three player in any season in the history of college football, if not the most agreed-on Heisman Trophy winner ever."
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Brandon Sonnone
"The sample size is small and the results are mixed when determining whether the reigning or current Heisman winner has an edge in head-to-head matchups," Sonnnone wrote. "In the previous two instances, a national title has been on the line, so the Jan. 1 semifinal will fittingly determine whether FSU or Oregon makes it to the national championship contest against the winner of Alabama-Ohio State."
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Alexander Lee
"His play down the stretch of his junior campaign simply removed any suspense from the Heisman race, turning tonight's festivities into a mere formality," Lee Wrote.
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Brian Dohn
"My ballot, in order, was Marcus Mariota, Amari Cooper and Melvin Gordon. I though there were the top three players in the nation, and that was before I went and looked at their statistics," Dohn Wrote. "In choosing Mariota first, it was based on watching him play, and his ability to make the correct reads and throw the ball with tremendous accuracy while playing at a high level."
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Chip Brown
"Mariota's selflessness embodies the Heisman Trophy's credo as the 'outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.'"
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Dudley Dawson
"The other two young men that were finalists also were fine representatives for the award, but in the end I just felt like the case Mariota put forth was the best."
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Dan Legge
"The best player in the college football, which is what this award is about, is and has been Oregon’s Marcus Mariota," Legge Wrote. "I watched him as often as I could this fall."
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