Marcus Mariota

Mariota grew up in Honolulu with his Samoan father, Toa, and Hawaiian-raised mother, Alana. He was raised with a brother named Matthew and attended Saint Louis High School.

Soon after beginning his professional career, Mariota and his parents established the Motiv8 Foundation. The organization supports youth on Oahu and has helped thousands of young people.

Mariota joined the Oregon Ducks after being recruited by Mark Helfrich, who had originally visited Saint Louis to evaluate another quarterback, Jeremy Higgins. Mariota redshirted his freshman season and became Oregon's starting quarterback in 2012. He led the Ducks to a 12-1 record and a Fiesta Bowl victory, passing for 2,677 yards and 32 touchdowns while rushing for 752 yards and five scores.

In 2013, Mariota passed for 3,665 yards and 31 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He also rushed for 715 yards and nine touchdowns as Oregon finished 11-2 and won the Alamo Bowl against Texas. He was named the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl MVP in 2013.

Mariota's junior season brought a series of major performances and school records. He led Oregon to the Pac-12 championship and a place in the College Football Playoff, then won the 2014 Heisman Trophy with 2,534 points. He became the first Oregon player and the first person born in Hawaii to receive the award, appearing on 95.2 percent of ballots.

He finished his Oregon career as the school's record holder for total offense, passing yards, completions, touchdown passes, rushing yards by a quarterback, completion percentage, total touchdowns and total points accounted for. He also played in Oregon's 59-20 College Football Playoff semifinal win over Florida State before the Ducks lost the championship game to Ohio State.

The Tennessee Titans selected Mariota second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, behind fellow Heisman winner Jameis Winston. He spent five seasons with Tennessee and started four years for the Titans. He later played for the Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Washington Commanders.

Mariota has been used as both a passer and a runner during his NFL career. With Washington, he has made starts in place of injured quarterback Jayden Daniels, including a seven-start stretch during the 2025 season. NFL highlights have included a 349-yard game against the Denver Broncos, a 262-yard game in Madrid and a 43-yard rushing play against the Miami Dolphins.