Marcus Mariota gave a moving speech upon winning the Heisman Trophy award that showcased his humble and grateful personality.
The Ducks QB became the first player to win the award in the school’s history. He was so overwhelmed that he began shaking hands with the past winners before beginning his speech.
Mariota congratulated the other finalists, Melvin Gordon and Amari Cooper. He thanked all his coaches, teammates and teachers throughout his life. He thanked Oregon, booster Phil Knight, the city of Eugene, all the program’s fans, his home state of Hawaii, and his parents.
He also recognized his status as a role model for young Polynesian athletes.
“To the Polynesia community: I hope and pray that this is only the beginning. Young poly athletes everywhere — you should take this as motivation and dream big and strive for greatness.”
Mariota had a hard time making it through his speech because he was so emotional.
