[ed. See also: Eight things you should know about Marcus Mariota.]
Marcus Mariota took a deep breath, shook his lowered head and pursed his lips. His eyes welled up. He had just won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first Hawaii native and the first Oregon Duck to do so, and he was getting choked up as he delivered his acceptance speech at a theater in Midtown. He took a moment to address the children of Hawaii who are much the way he was.
“You should take this as motivation and dream big and strive for greatness,” he said.
He gulped.
“This is the toughest part,” he said, and took another breath. He thanked his parents and his brother and ended with a message in Samoan: Thank you very much.
Afterward, drawing on Hawaiian, he said, “Ohana means family — that’s it right there.” He added, wearing Hawaiian and Samoan leis around his neck: “In Hawaii, if one person is successful, the entire state is successful. To be a part of that, it’s so special. It’s hard to explain.”
Mariota, a redshirt junior from Honolulu, led Oregon to a 12-1 record, the Pacific-12 championship and the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff. He accounted for 53 total touchdowns against only two interceptions. He won more awards than he had shelf space for. The other two finalists, Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon and Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper, were worthy competition. Gordon ran for the fourth-highest yardage in a single season in N.C.A.A. history. Cooper was the first receiver invited to the Heisman ceremony since 2003. And they stood no chance.
In Hawaii, Mariota’s parents are constantly approached to talk about Marcus — at his brother Matt’s school, at the store, at the airport. Locals walk around Honolulu wearing Mariota’s No. 8 Oregon jerseys. They would gather to watch Oregon’s game.
“Everybody kind of adopted him as a son,” his mother said.
Passas uses Mariota as an example of a strong quarterback and a good person. He requires five things of his players. They have to show love for their mothers, make two people smile every day, do one random act of kindness, be a team player in all facets of life and say a prayer when they see an ambulance, a police car or a fire truck.
He tells them: If it worked for Marcus Mariota, it can work for you.
by Tim Rohan, NY Times | Read more:
Image: Karsten Moran for The New York Times
