Fernando Mendoza thanks God after winning Heisman Trophy: 'Doesn’t feel real'
University of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza thanked God for allowing him to chase a "pipe dream" after he won college football's most decorated individual award on Saturday.
Mendoza, 22, was announced as the winner of the Heisman Trophy at a ceremony Saturday night. As a devout Catholic, he expressed gratitude to God during his acceptance speech.
“First, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to chase a dream that once felt a world away," Mendoza began. He insisted that “standing here tonight holding this … bad boy representing Indiana University” still “doesn’t feel real."
“If you told me, as a kid in Miami, that I’d be here on stage holding this prestigious trophy, I probably would have laughed, cried like I’m doing now or both," he continued.
In addition to thanking his family members, teammates and coaches over the years, Mendoza reflected on the difficulties he experienced dating back to his earliest days of playing football.
“In fourth grade, I was a new kid on the Park football team,” he recalled. “Didn’t know a single teammate and was fourth on the depth chart. By mid-season, I wanted to get out of there.”
“My parents said I had to finish what I started. So I learned to embrace my team, and that is when I fell in love with football,” he added. “By high school, I was chasing the first stages of pipe dream to play in college. Then, COVID hit, cut the season short.”
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he recalled that he was “only a two-star prospect” who had “one scholarship offer.” His family’s “unconditional love and belief" kept him going and "pushed me forward," he said.
Mendoza concluded his speech with a message to “every kid out there who feels overlooked,” assuring them, “I was you, I was that kid too, I was in your shoes.”
“The truth is you don’t need the most stars, hype or rankings,” but rather, “You just need discipline, heart and people who believe in you.”
“You need to believe in your own abilities. I hope this moment shows you that chasing your dreams are worth it, no matter how big or impossible they seem,” he said. “God bless, go Hoosiers.”
Mendoza has often used his public platform to highlight his faith.
After his team secured a spot in the college football playoffs earlier this month, Mendoza proclaimed, “I want to give all the glory to God.”
“We were never supposed to be in this position,” Mendoza said in a post-game interview. "By the glory of God, the great coaches, great teammates, everybody we have around us, we were able to pull this off.”
Indiana University Catholic pastor Fr. Patrick Hyde has touted the authenticity of Mendoza's faith on social media.
Sharing a clip of a November Mendoza interview on X, Hyde noted that “Fernando Mendoza backs up his talk on TV by giving glory to God at Sunday Mass.”
A profile of Mendoza for his appearance on “The Heisman Podcast” states that “Mendoza’s spirituality is woven into everything,” specifically highlighting how “he prays the Rosary every Friday, listens to online Mass before games, and avoids hype music to stay grounded.”
Mendoza and the Hoosiers have secured a spot in the Rose Bowl, scheduled to take place in Pasadena, California on Jan. 1. The winner of that quarter-final game will move onto the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, a semi-final match in Atlanta, Georgia, on Jan. 9. The winner of that game will earn a place in the National Championship in Miami Gardens, Florida on Jan. 19.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
