Todd Marinovich

Infobox NFLretired


position=Quarterback
number=12(pro), 13(college), 7(high school)
birthdate=birth date and age|1969|7|4
San Leandro, California
debutyear=1991
finalyear=1992
draftyear=1991
draftround=1
draftpick=24
college=USC
teams=
* Los Angeles Raiders (1991-1992)
stat1label=TD-INT
stat1value=8-9
stat2label=Yards
stat2value=1,345
stat3label=QB Rating
stat3value=66.4
nfl=MAR159727

Todd Marvin Marinovich (born July 4, 1969 in San Leandro, California) is a former American football quarterback who played for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League. His career also included stints in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League. He is of Croatian ancestry.

High school career

Marinovich had a very successful high school career starting at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana then Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, California, where he earned a national high school passing record by passing for 9,914 yards, including 2,477 his senior year.Douglas S. Looney, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1127063/index.htm Bred To Be A Superstar] , "Sports Illustrated", February 22, 1988, Accessed September 10, 2008.] He was awarded the Dial Award for the national high school scholar-athlete of the year in 1987. He took his college selection seriously, noting: "This is the biggest decision of my life. It means not only where I will play football but, most likely, who I will marry, who my best friends for life will be, where I will live. It means everything. And the one thing I know for sure is I'm too young to make this kind of decision by myself."Douglas S. Looney, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1127063/index.htm Bred To Be A Superstar] , "Sports Illustrated", February 22, 1988, Accessed September 10, 2008.] He was heavily recruited by colleges; as a freshman he began getting letters from Stanford University, and at a Stanford camp he worked out with then-NFL quarterback and Stanford alum John Elway. Almost every major program recruited him, and he soon narrowed his choices down to Stanford, Arizona State, BYU, Washington, Miami and the University of Southern California (USC).Douglas S. Looney, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1127063/index.htm Bred To Be A Superstar] , "Sports Illustrated", February 22, 1988, Accessed September 10, 2008.]

In his senior year, Marinovich came to national attention when "Sports Illustrated" published an article, titled "Bred To Be A Superstar", that discussed his unique upbringing under father Marv Marinovich, a former NFL lineman and owner of an athletic research center, who wanted to turn his son into the "perfect quarterback". The article declared Marinovich "America's first test-tube athlete", and mentioned his mother took him to museums, played him classical music and jazz while banning cartoons as too violent and instead viewing films by Alfred Hitchcock and Agatha Christie. His father assembled a team of advisers to tutor him on every facet of the game.Douglas S. Looney, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1127063/index.htm Bred To Be A Superstar] , "Sports Illustrated", February 22, 1988, Accessed September 10, 2008.] Douglas S. Looney, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136510/index.htm The Minefield] , "Sports Illustrated", September 3, 1990, Accessed September 10, 2008.] In a noted passage, the article described that:Because of his strict upbringing and almost mechanical lifestyle under his father, some nicknamed him the "Robo QB."Douglas S. Looney, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136510/index.htm The Minefield] , "Sports Illustrated", September 3, 1990, Accessed September 10, 2008.]

Marinovich eventually decided on USC, after being impressed during an official campus visit. His parents had both gone to USC. His father, Marv, had been a two-way lineman and a captain at USC during the 1962 national championship season and player in the 1963 Rose Bowl (where he was ejected when he got caught elbowing Steve Underwood, the Wisconsin captain.) [Stiegman, Pat - [http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=194603 1963: The greatest Rose Bowl ever] . Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 23, 1993. "... the Trojans were a few quarts low in the second half, losing several players to injury and tackle Marv Marinovich (yes, father of Los Angeles Raiders QB Todd Marinovich) to ejection when he got caught elbowing Underwood in the skull AFTER a play in the third quarter. "I was walking back to the huddle and BAM, I felt this bump in the back of the head," [Steve] Underwood said. "I turned around here here's Marinovich and the ref standing right there, watching the whole thing. It was so stupid, it was unbelievable." ] His uncle, Craig Fertig, was quarterback at USC and, at the time, an assistant athletic director.Douglas S. Looney, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1127063/index.htm Bred To Be A Superstar] , "Sports Illustrated", February 22, 1988, Accessed September 10, 2008.]

College career

Marinovich entered USC as a Fine Arts major. He redshirted his first year during the 1988 season, as the Trojans were led by Rodney Peete. Already under intense pressure as a high school prospect, he was soon overwhelmed by the combination of high expectation and the many temptations that were prohibited under his strict upbringing. He was torn between embracing the freedom and following his father's teachings, noting that "I'm finally away from my dad telling me everything to do. And I've got to say I have taken advantage of it. Full advantage. He keeps telling me, 'Come on, you've got the rest of your life to fool around. Not now.' I know he's right. But there are a lot of distractions at SC."Douglas S. Looney, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136510/index.htm The Minefield] , "Sports Illustrated", September 3, 1990, Accessed September 10, 2008.] At one point Marinovich left school in his freshman year to see his mother (his parents divorced while he was in high school), stating "I wish I could go somewhere else and be someone else. I don't want to be Todd Marinovich."Douglas S. Looney, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136510/index.htm The Minefield] , "Sports Illustrated", September 3, 1990, Accessed September 10, 2008.]

Outside of his personal travails, Marinovich's football career for USC had an abrupt start. As a redshirt freshman in 1989, he was set to backup junior Pat O'Hara; however in the fall preseason practices, O'Hara suffered a major leg injury that thrust Marinovich to the starting spot. He became he first freshman quarterback to start a season opener for USC since World War II. After an upset loss to Illinois in the opener, where his performance garnered some criticism, Marinovich was able to rise to the challenge of the position: He completed 197 of 321 passes during the regular season for 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a 61.4% rate, just .1% behind the NCAA freshman record. UPI and "The Sporting News" named him the College Freshman of the Year for 1989 and he was the only freshman on the All-Pac-10 team and the first freshman quarterback ever named. After a close win over Washington State, former President Ronald Reagan called Marinovich to congratulate him and welcome him over to his home in Los Angeles. The Trojans won the conference and the season was capped by a victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl in what was Bo Schembechler's final game as a head coach.Douglas S. Looney, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136510/index.htm The Minefield] , "Sports Illustrated", September 3, 1990, Accessed September 10, 2008.]

Marinovich entered the 1990 season as a redshirt sophomore and a Heisman Trophy-candidate. However, the pressure he felt off the field began to manifest itself in personal problems that affected his performance on the team. His play became erratic. After finding out Marinovich had been skipping numerous classes, then-USC head coach Larry Smith suspended him from a game against Arizona State. He developed an ear infection that prevented him from practicing.Shelley Smith, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136248/index.htm One Troubled Trojan] , "Sports Illustrated", November 5, 1990, Accessed September 10, 2008.] His relationship with Smith became increasingly rocky --culminating when Marinovich began yelling at Smith in full view of a national TV audience during the loss in the John Hancock Bowl. Marinovich was arrested for cocaine possession a month later. Tired of the program and having previously considered his options, Marinovich soon left for the NFL after his sophomore season.Shelley Smith, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136248/index.htm One Troubled Trojan] , "Sports Illustrated", November 5, 1990, Accessed September 10, 2008.] Richard Hoffer, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004163/index.htm Where Are The Good Old Days?] , "Sports Illustrated", August 31, 1992, Accessed September 10, 2008.]

Professional career

In 1991, he left USC to test the waters of the NFL Draft, finding a home in the first round with the Los Angeles Raiders and signing a 3-year, $2.27 million deal. He did not start a game until the final week of the season, where he impressed with 3 touchdown passes against the Kansas City Chiefs in a close loss. Because of this great debut he started the following week against the Chiefs in the , but was very poor, throwing for just 140 yards with 4 interceptions in a 10-6 loss and smashing a locker room mirror with his helmet after the game.

After an 0-2 start in 1992, former starter Jay Schroeder was benched and Marinovich, the fan favorite, became the starter. He threw for 395 yards in a loss in his first start that season and lost the following week as the Raiders started 0-4. He then won 3 of his next 4 games before falling to the Cowboys. The following week Marinovich started against the Eagles, seeing 3 of his first 10 passes intercepted. Jay Schroeder then took back the starting job; Marinovich never played again in the NFL and was eventually released by the Raiders.

After his departure, Marinovich had stints in the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League but was always followed by scandals. He had problems with drugs, paternity suits, and even rape charges; authorities once arrested him during practice with the Los Angeles Avengers. In 1999, he partnered up with sports marketing agent and IBL San Diego Stingrays owner Scott Atkins in the QB12 Sports Collectors Art Series. QB12 was a limited edition sports art lithograph series with Marinovich as the sports artist. The series featured Ken Stabler and Joe Montana. A rendering of Joe Montana has since appeared on Ebay. The project was cancelled due to Marinovich's legal troubles, including court-ordered child support to three separate women. In 2000, Marinovich was named to the AFL's All-Rookie Team, but lackluster play and off-the-field problems led to his release in 2001.

Despite moments of brilliance, Marinovich's professional career is widely considered to be a bust. In 2004, Marinovich was included in ESPN.com's list of [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=listranker/25biggestflops The 25 Biggest Sports Flops] , coming in at number 4 on the ESPN.com editors' list, and number 7 on the readers' list. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=listranker/25biggestflops The 25 Biggest Sports Flops] , ESPN.com, July 20, 2004] His name, along with that of Ryan Leaf, is often used as an eponym for a highly vaunted football player who turns out to be a huge disappointment. However, Marinovich is viewed with sympathy by many observers because of the extreme conditions under which his career developed.

Post-Football

Marinovich still follows USC football and occasionally attends open practices at USC.Gary Klein, [http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-usc21-2008aug21,0,6838875.story USC's Mark Sanchez looks good in drills] , "Los Angeles Times", August 21, 2008, Accessed September 10, 2008.]

Legal troubles

Marinovich has had several run-ins with the law, many of which have been related to his ongoing drug problems. He was arrested in 1991, while still a student at USC, on cocaine possession.Richard Hoffer, [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004163/index.htm Where Are The Good Old Days?] , "Sports Illustrated", August 31, 1992, Accessed September 10, 2008.] In 1997 he was arrested on suspicion of growing marijuana and served three months in jail after pleading guilty. In April 2000, Marinovich was arrested for sexual assault, [ [http://espn.go.com/nfl/news/2000/0425/501321.html Marinovich Released on Bond After Arrest] Associated Press, April 26, 2000] followed by a 2001 arrest on suspicion of heroin possession, which forced his exit from the Avengers.

Marinovich was arrested in a public bathroom in Newport Beach, California in May 2005, after being found with apparent drug paraphernalia. He fled on a child's bicycle, but was caught a few blocks away. He gave his occupation as "unemployed artist" and "anarchist" on the police report, which stated that his pupils were dilated and his behavior "erratic." [ [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/05/26/sports/s110749D49.DTL Former NFL QB Todd Marinovich Arrested] Associated Press, May 26, 2005] He was ordered to undergo six months of drug rehabilitation followed by six months of outpatient treatment as a result. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=2075528 Marinovich ordered into drug rehabilitation program] Associated Press, June 3, 2005]

In August 2007, Marinovich was arrested and charged with felony drug possession and resisting a police order after being stopped for skateboarding near the Newport Beach, California Pier boardwalk, where skateboarding is forbidden by local ordinance. Marinovich ran away when officers tried to stop him. He was found hiding in a carport about six blocks away. He had a guitar case, and inside officers found about a gram of powdered methamphetamine, a metal spoon and a hypodermic needle, Sgt. Evan Sailor said. Marinovich was arrested and pleaded not guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor counts of unauthorized possession of a hypodermic and resisting a police officer. [ [http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1834002.php Ex-USC star Marinovich arrested in Newport Beach] "The Orange County Register", August 29, 2007]

In April 2008, Todd Marinovich joins the drug rehab center, Kramer Center at Newport Beach, located on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, California. He hopes that by telling his story about his constant battle with drug abuse and addiction will keep someone from going down the same path as him. [ [http://www.kramercenter.com Ex-USC star Marinovich beings work at Newport Beach Rehab Center] "Kramer Center at Newport Beach", April 29, 2008]

Todd Marinovich has recently worked in charity, along with Todd Kramer, founder of the Kramer Center at Newport Beach, and a National Drug Treatment Center to help young athletes overcome addiction and to stay clean. [ [http://www.nationaltreatmentcenters.org Marinovich begins work on his non-profit to help fight against drug and alcohol addiction among athletes] "National Treatment Centers", June 26, 2008]

Family

Marinovich has a younger brother named Mikhail Marinovich who plays as tight end collegiately at Syracuse University. On March 8, 2008, he was arrested with another student for burglary. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3279836 ESPN - Marinovich's brother one of two Syracuse players arrested - College Football ] ]

External links

* [http://www.arenafan.com/players/Todd_Marinovich-2371/ AFL stats]

References