If there’s one thing we Duck fans know about Marcus Mariota, it’s that he was never one for the spotlight. Of course a question that immediately comes to mind is then ‘why’d you have to be so darn good?’ The normally shy and quiet Mariota, after breaking many records (some of which were his own), was forced into the national spotlight when coveted award after award fell in his lap. His week finally peeked Saturday night when he won the prestigious Heisman Trophy. Needless to say, the junior from Hawaii had quite a busy week. After claiming all of his accolades, Mariota made a final stop last night on the David Letterman Show.
Marcus Mariota shakes hands with David Letterman
As expected, the 6’4″ stud stood there awkwardly. He fidgeted with his hands the entire time while he recited Letterman’s classic Top Ten, the whole time slightly swaying after being stuffed into a tuxedo that clearly made him uncomfortable. He delivered the following ten statements, which were the Top Ten thoughts going through his head as he won the Heisman (via CBS):
- “Heisman? Now that’s mayonnaise”
- “Selfie!”
- “I’d like to play in the NFL; does New York have any professional teams?”
- “Maybe now the cheerleaders will notice me”
- “My ‘General Science’ major really paid off”
- “Don’t spike the trophy…”
- “Last Heisman winner from Hawaii? Don Ho”
- “To heck with the NFL, I’m going on ‘Dancing With The Stars'”
- “This trophy will look great in my aquarium”
- “Can’t believe I beat Meryl Streep”
Of course, maybe more funny than Letterman’s bit in fact, was watching Mariota squirm in the situation he was thrust into. If there was a way Mariota could just play football and not have to deal with all the awards and the praise, I’m sure he’d take that offer in a New York minute.
I can’t stress that previous statement enough though. Mariota is not your average Heisman winner, and definitely not your average college football player. He has talent pouring out of his ears, and the resume he has put together at Oregon has some NFL scouts drooling, yet he remains more humble than most fifth-string walk-ons. Fellow FishDuck.com writer Mike Merrell wrote an excellent article on how the Heisman actually won Mariota, and he could not be more correct. Mariota is the perfect picture of what college football excellence is, and in the future should be.
So yes, maybe he didn’t give the greatest performance on Letterman. Maybe he doesn’t have Johnny Football’s media-perfect attitude. What he does have is a heart and a brain, something seemingly lost among recent award winners.
Top photo from Video
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Caleb is a sophomore at the University of Oregon intending to double major in Journalism and Sports Management. He is the Managing Editor for FishDuck.com, along with being a lifetime Saints and San Francisco Giants fan, as Caleb fell in love with sports at a young age and developed that love into a passion for sports analysis. He is looking forward to cheering on the Ducks throughout his career at Oregon, and is always willing to talk sports with any fellow fan.