QB Mendoza thanks God after Improbable Indiana win
The Indiana Hoosiers, traditionally one of the worst teams in college football history, capped a record-breaking season on Monday by defeating the University of Miami to win the national championship. Fernando Mendoza, their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, led the way.
In December, during his Heisman acceptance speech, he thanked God for “the opportunity to chase a dream that once felt a world away,“ as the Deseret News previously reported.
“I want to give all the glory and thanks to God,” Mendoza said after the game. “My offensive lineman blocked perfectly, and we were able to execute the team toward a common goal.”
He later thanked his friends, family and coaches “for taking a chance on me,” reiterating how he wanted to “give all the glory to God.” As the Hoosiers were presented with the national championship trophy, Mendoza pointed to God first and said, “I first want to give all the glory to God” and called it “the most special moment of my life.”
Sports Center posted video showing Mendoza and Miami quarterback Carson Beck kneeling in prayer on the field ahead of the game. Mendoza often publicly displayed his Catholic faith throughout the past season. Before the Heisman Trophy awards ceremony last month, he said he was happy that God had put “bumps and challenges in my life,” such as finding a college team that wanted him and earning a starting job.
“Evidently, those have been blessings, because they’ve lit a fire underneath myself in order to make myself work harder and get to the point that I am today,” he said. “I believe that I would not be here without the path that my Lord Jesus Christ has put me on today. And so that’s why I always try to give him the glory and always give him the thanks, as I know he has a plan for me.”
It’s not the first time, or the last, in which the star player points to God. “The only reason I’ve gotten to this point is because there’s so many different people helping me in my journey, and (the Saint Paul priests) have been one,” Mendoza told Sports Illustrated. “They’ve done so much to help me, whether it’s confession or just to be able to talk or just Mass every Sunday. So I really give a lot that I have accomplished this season to the Lord, and we give thanks to God.”
Father Patrick Hyde, a Catholic pastor at Indiana University, vouched for the authenticity of Mendoza’s Catholic faith. “Fernando Mendoza backs up his talk on TV by giving glory to God at Sunday Mass,” he said on social medial. “I have wrestled with sharing this, because he shows up out of love for God, not human praise.”
–Alan Goforth
