Display Illustrates Foundation Of Mariota's Heisman Run
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Anyone who watched him quarterback Oregon the last three years knows that the story of Marcus Mariota goes well beyond a single trophy.
Mariota’s Heisman Trophy honor for the 2014 season is the greatest individual award an Oregon football player has won. But his legacy goes beyond the statue, from the teammates he led, to the young people he inspired, to the example he set as a public figure.
All of that and more was incorporated into the Heisman Trophy display unveiled Tuesday in the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex. Designed by Nike and constructed in the HDC’s public lobby, the display illustrates the foundation on which Mariota’s Heisman run was built, including family, his home state of Hawaii and his support system with the Ducks.
“It’s such a compelling story, and we wanted his voice to be put into the display,” said Todd Van Horne, global vice president and creative director for Nike football. “So years and years from now when somebody comes in to look at the Heisman, you understand who Marcus is.”
The display was inspired by Mariota’s unforgettable Heisman acceptance speech, and engineered with the theme of the No. 8. Not only did Mariota wear No. 8 with the Ducks, but there are eight Hawaiiian islands – incorporated into the display as large black marble benches behind the trophy – and eight levels to the base on which the trophy sits.
Those levels represent Mariota’s parents and brother, his roots in the islands – illustrated with the help of a Polynesian tattoo artist – his youth football and Saint Louis School coaches, his teammates, coaches and fans at Oregon, and his collegiate home, Autzen Stadium.
“It’s going to be unbelievable,” Mariota said last week after opening training camp with the Tennessee Titans, who selected him with the No. 2 pick in this year’s NFL draft. “It’s the story of where my journey began, and what it was at Oregon.”
"Marcus' legacy is captured brilliantly -- in celebrating an individual award, all those who've influenced and supported him are center stage," UO coach Mark Helfrich said.
The trophy sits on a diamond-shaped display – “it represents the jewel of the Emerald Valley, and Marcus being such a jewel,” Van Horne said – and it was designed to have a mirrored effect.
“He talked so much in his speech about inspiring other people, especially within Hawaii and from the Polynesian culture,” Van Horne said. “We wanted for the younger generation to be able to come up and see their reflection in the podium itself.”
The trophy itself is displayed in open air, rather than in a case, and was positioned just inside a floor-to-ceiling glass wall so as to still be viewable on gamedays, when the HDC isn’t open to the public. Those efforts to make it accessible also were made with a purpose.
“The fans are very much a part of Marcus’ journey, as his support system and inspiration,” Van Horne said. “So they can come up and, while being careful with it, touch it and take pictures with it. We wanted to have that interaction – it makes it more personal, more approachable.”
Thus will future generations have a fuller sense of Mariota’s background, and his legacy at Oregon.
“From my standpoint and Nike’s standpoint, it’s truly inspiring,” Van Horne said. “We’re so proud of him, so happy he’s part of the Nike family. We’re all on this journey together, and we’re happy to be a part of it and so proud.”
