Before he was old enough to go to school, Todd Marinovich was being groomed to be an athlete. His father Marv, a former USC football standout, made it his mission to turn his son into a football player through a unique training regimen, unyielding nutrition demands… and a heavy hand.
Young Todd excelled from an early age, becoming the first freshman quarterback to start a varsity high school football game in all of Orange County, California. He was a star for two seasons at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana. Todd picked up where he left off when he transferred to Mission Viejo’s Capistrano Valley High School, breaking the all-time Orange County career passing record and setting a national record by throwing for nearly 10,000 career yards.
Media attention followed as Todd’s relationship with his temperamental father and those strict training methods became almost daily news in households around the country.
In 1989, he became the first freshman quarterback to start the first game of the USC season since World War II. He tossed 16 touchdown passes with a completion rate north of 60%. He led SC to a 9-2-1 record, a Pac 10 title and a Rose Bowl win over Michigan. The Sporting News named Marinovich the College Freshman of the Year.
As much as Marinovich was a superstar on the field he was equal parts a rock star off of it. Through well documented trials and tribulations, the 1990 football season was a mixed bag for the Trojan, offering some amazing high points and some unsettling lows.
After his sophomore season, Marinovich entered the 1991 NFL Draft where he was selected by the Raiders with the 24th overall pick. As if the lights weren’t bright enough, Marinovich made his NFL debut on Monday Night Football in a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, completing three of four passes and eventually leading the Raiders into the end zone. After flashes a brilliance and flashes of the opposite, there was a back and forth quarterback battle between Marinovich and veteran Jay Schroeder, but drug problems began to catch up with him and by the end of 1992, Marinovich was out of the NFL completely.
After his NFL career was over Marinovich had an opportunity in the CFL but a knee injury and his continued off the field issues made that opportunity short lived.
He returned to professional football with the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League in 2000. While still battling off the field issues, he showed flashes of his old ability by throwing ten touchdown passes against Houston. He was named to the AFL All Rookie Team but by 2001 he was out of the league.
Sixteen years later, Marinovich was back in football. Starting out as an assistant coach but now sober at age 48, Marinovich stepped back into the huddle after nearly 17 years away from the game, playing for the SoCal Coyotes of the Developmental Football League. He completed 19 of 28 passes for 262 yards and seven touchdowns in a 73-0 Coyotes win.
The now-retired signal caller still follows USC football, spends time with his wife and two children and has a growing online art gallery featuring original works of art of precious style paintings, drawings and sculptures.
I recently chatted with him about some shady Raiders fans, his rookie cards, autographs and interactions with Joe Montana.
