Mariota in 2012
Oregon Ducks — No. 8
Quarterback	Junior
Major: General Sciences
Date of birth: (1993-10-30) October 30, 1993 (age 21)
Place of birth: Honolulu, Hawaii
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	Weight: 219 lb (99 kg)
Career history
High school: Honolulu (HI) Saint Louis
College(s): University of Oregon (2011–present)
Career highlights and awards
Heisman Trophy (2014) Davey O'Brien Award (2014) Walter Camp Award (2014) Maxwell Award (2014) Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (2014) Pacific-12 Conference Champion (2014) Pacific-12 Championship Game MVP (2014) Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year (2014) 3x Pac-12 All-Conference 1st Team (2012 - 2014) Alamo Bowl champion (2013) Alamo Bowl MVP (2013) CFPA Quarterback Award (2013) Fiesta Bowl champion (2013) Fiesta Bowl MVP (2013) Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2012)
Stats at ESPN.com

Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota, (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the University of Oregon Ducks football team[1] and the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner.[2]

Early life

Mariota is of Samoan and German descent[3]. He was born in Honolulu to Toa Mariota and Alana Deppe-Mariota. He grew up idolizing the quarterback play of Jeremiah Masoli, a fellow Samoan American, who was also a standout quarterback at the all-boys Catholic St. Louis High and University of Oregon.[4]

High school career

Mariota attended St. Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he was a two-sport star in football and track. In football, he was relatively unknown late in his high school career due to not starting until his senior season.[5] As a senior, he led St. Louis to an 11-1 record and the state title while being named PrepStar Magazine All-West Region and Interscholastic League of Honolulu Offensive Player of the Year.[6] Mariota threw for 2,597 yards on 165 of 225 passing attempts (64.7%), including 32 touchdowns against only five interceptions. He also rushed the ball 60 times for 455 yards (7.6 yards per carry) and 7 touchdowns.[7] Marcus was named to the NUC All World Game alongside 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.[8]

Also a standout track & field athlete, Mariota was a state track qualifier in the sprinting and jumping events.[9] At the 2010 National Underclassman Combine, he won the camp’s “Fastest Man” and “Combine King” awards after running a 4.48-second 40-yard dash. At the 2011 HHSAA T&F Championships, he earned fourth-place finishes in both the 200-meter dash (23.41 s) and the long jump (20 ft, 7 in), while also placing tenth in the 100-meter dash event at 11.63 seconds. He also ran the second leg on the St. Louis 4x100m relay squad, helping them capture the state title with a time of 42.83 seconds.[10]

High School Awards & Honors

• 2010 HHSAA Division 1 State Football Championship
• 2010 Interscholastic League of Honolulu Offensive Player of the Year
• 2010 PrepStar Magazine All-West Region
• 2010 Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year

Recruitment
Mariota attended an Oregon football camp in the summer of 2010, which allowed Mark Helfrich, Oregon's then offensive coordinator, to be one of the first recruiters to discover Mariota.[11] After the camp, Helfrich visited Mariota in Hawaii to watch the somewhat unrecognized quarterback practice going into his senior season.[12] Helfrich called Chip Kelly during the visit and they made the decision to immediately offer Mariota a scholarship, despite never starting a varsity game.[13]

After his senior season, he was rated the No. 2 recruiting prospect in the state of Hawaii and No. 12 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com.[14] He was recruited by Oregon, Hawaii, Memphis, Utah, Oregon State, Washington, Arizona, Notre Dame, UCLA and USC but was only offered a scholarship by Memphis and Oregon.[15]

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Marcus Mariota QB	Honolulu, Hawaii	Saint Louis School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	211 lb (96 kg)	4.5	Oct 30, 2010
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 71
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 24 (QB)   Rivals: 24 (QB)  ESPN: 71 (QB)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Oregon Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.  "2011 Oregon Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.  "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.  "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.  "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.

College career

2012 season

After redshirting the 2011 season, 2012 showcased Mariota as the first freshman to start a season opener for the Ducks in 22 seasons.[16] He led Oregon to a 12-1 record and the #2 final season ranking while being named Pac-12 All-Conference 1st Team, Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year, and earning the 2013 Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP Award as he guided the Ducks to a 35-17 victory over #5 Kansas State.

Starting in all 13 games, Mariota threw for 2,677 yards on 230 of 336 passing attempts (68.5%), including 32 touchdowns against only 6 interceptions. He also rushed the ball 106 times for 752 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and 5 touchdowns. His athletic versatility was exhibited against Arizona State,[17] when he caught a touchdown pass, threw a touchdown pass, and then ran for an 86-yard touchdown, achieving all three scores with 12 minutes still left in first half.[18]

2013 season

Mariota earned Pac-12 All-Conference 1st Team honors for the second consecutive year[19] after setting a Pac-12 record from the end of the 2012 season into the 2013 season by attempting 353 passes without an interception.[20] Starting in all 13 games, he completed 245 of 386 passing attempts (63.5%) for 3,665 yards with 31 touchdowns and only four interceptions, while rushing for 715 yards (7.4 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns.

Mariota suffered a partial tear of the MCL against UCLA on October 26 but continued to play the remainder of the season.[21] After Oregon’s 8-0 start, Mariota was featured on the national cover of the November 4th, 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated[22] as the favorite to win the Heisman trophy before the #2 ranked Ducks fell to #6 Stanford on November 7. Despite Oregon's 11-2 season record and top-ten ranking, Mariota’s sophomore season was considered a letdown after the Ducks failed to reach a BCS bowl birth for the first time since the 2008 season.[23]

After a loss to Arizona on Nov. 23, Oregon’s first loss to an unranked opponent since 2008,[24] Mariota and the Ducks bounced back to beat rival Oregon State 36-35 in the Civil War. Mariota threw a touchdown pass to Josh Huff with 29 seconds remaining to give Oregon the come from behind victory over the Beavers.[25]

Mariota guided the Ducks to their third consecutive bowl victory, beating Texas 30-7 in the 2013 Alamo Bowl while being honored as the game's Offensive MVP after rushing for 133 yards on 15 carries and finishing with 386 total yards. He finished the season with 4,380 yards of total offense, becoming the only player in Oregon history to eclipse 4,000 yards in a season.[26]

2014 season

Prior to the Alamo Bowl on December 3, 2013, Mariota announced his decision to bypass the NFL Draft and return for the 2014 season.[27] Considered by many to be a Heisman Trophy favorite entering the 2014 season, Mariota was named to watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and Davey O'Brien Award. Prior to the start of the 2014 season Mariota was considered one of the best prospects for the NFL Draft. Mariota would eventually lead Oregon to finish number 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings, earning a ticket to the Rose Bowl.

On December 11, 2014 at the annual College Football Awards show in Orlando, Florida, Mariota cleaned house, winning the Davey O'Brien Award for the nation's best quarterback, and the Walter Camp and Maxwell Award's, both awarded to the nation's best football player.[28] The next day back in Eugene, Mariota graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor's Degree in General Sciences, with an emphasis on human physiology, accomplishing one of his goals in returning to play after the 2013 season.[29]

Heisman Trophy

On December 13, 2014, Mariota became the first Oregon Duck and Hawaiian native to win the Heisman Trophy. He had 788 out of 891 (88.4%) of the first place votes, and 90.9% of the total points.

Statistics

†Season ongoing

1 - NCAA Leader
2 - Pac-12 Leader
3 - NCAA Leader (QB)
4 - Pac-12 Leader (QB)

Awards & honors

2012

• Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (Pac-12 Coaches)[30]
• Pac-12 All-Conference 1st Team (Pac-12 Coaches,[31] ESPN.com, Phil Steele[32])
• Pac-12 Academic All-Conference Honorable Mention[33]
• Honorable Mention All-America (SI.com)[34]
• Manning Award Finalist
• Team’s Most Outstanding Player (Skeie’s Award)
• Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP (January 3, 2013)

2013

• Pac-12 All-Conference 1st Team (Pac-12 Coaches,[35] Phil Steele[36])
• Sports Illustrated Cover, Aug. 19
• Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Pac-12 Coaches) Oct. 7
• Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week, Oct. 13
• Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Pac-12 Coaches) Oct. 14
• Sports Illustrated Cover, Nov. 4
• Team's Most Outstanding Player (Skeie's Award)
• Team's Most Inspirational Player (Wilford Gonyea Award)
• Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP
• CFPA Quarterback Trophy Winner[37]

2014

• Athlon Sports National Player of the Week[38] Sept. 7
• Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week[39] Sept. 7
• Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Pac-12 Coaches)[40] Sept. 8
• Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Week[41] Sept. 9
• Sports Illustrated Cover, Sept. 22
• Senior Bowl National Offensive Player of the Week[42] Oct. 20
• Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Pac-12 Coaches)[43] Oct. 27
• Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Pac-12 Coaches)[44] Nov. 3
• Team's Most Outstanding Player (Skeie's Award)
• Team's Most Inspirational Player (Wilford Gonyea Award)†
• Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year (Pac-12 Coaches)
• Pac-12 All-Conference 1st Team (Pac-12 Coaches)
• Pac-12 Championship Game MVP
• Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
• Polynesian College Football Player of the Year[45]
• Davey O'Brien Award
• Walter Camp Award
• Walter Camp All-America Team
• Maxwell Award
• Heisman Trophy[46]

†Shared award

Records

Pacific-12 Conference

• Career Total Touchdowns, 131
• Single Season Total Touchdowns, 53 (2014)
• Freshman Passing Touchdowns, 32 (2012)
• Passes Attempted Without an Interception, 353 (2012-2013)

Oregon

• Career Total Offensive Yards, 12,289 yards
• Career Passing Yards, 10,125
• Career Passing Touchdowns, 101 TD
• Single Season Total Offense, 4,478 yards (2014)
• Single Season Passing Yards, 3,783 yard (2014)
• Single Season Passing Touchdowns, 38 (2014)
• Single Game Passing Touchdowns, 6 TD (2012, @California)

Note - Conference Records are also school records, once a conference record is recorded, its corresponding school record is removed, for example the record for single season total touchdowns is only recorded in the conference section, but it is both a conference record and University of Oregon record.

References

External links

• Oregon profile