When thinking of Oregon Ducks athletics, few athletes come to mind more often than former Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota. Entering his 11th year in the NFL with the Washington Commanders, Mariota's Heisman Trophy-winning tenure at Oregon has forever impacted the college football landscape.
So for Duck fans, the only surprise regarding Mariota's career is why he wasn't inducted into the University of Oregon Athletics' Hall of Fame until this year. Headlining the class of 2025 inductees, Mariota will be joined by his center Hroniss Grasu (2011-2014), track and field athletes Jenna Prandini (2012-2015) and Sam Crouser (2011-2015), softball athlete Janie Takeda Reed (2012-2015), and the 2011-2014 Women's Indoor Track and Field NCAA Championship team.
In an interview with KOIN 6 "Everyday Northwest" host and Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Ally Osborne, Mariota shared more about his thoughts on this honor and memories at Oregon while discussing his Motiv8 Foundation's 10th anniversary.
"It makes me think of the incredible coaching staff, teammates, resource staff that we all had there," Mariota said. "We had an unbelievable run and just the culmination of all that. It really wasn't just me to be able to stand in front of all these people [for the induction]. It was a group effort and it took a lot of sacrifice and a lot of hard work from a lot of different people and I feel privileged and thankful that I was at Oregon during that time."
"I think it was a culmination of - gosh - almost 30 years of guys before me and to get to the pinnacle and play for a National Championship and to be apart of that run... I'll never forget," Mariota continued.
An "unbelievable run" is one way to put it, with Mariota leading the Ducks to more wins in three seasons than any quarterback before his time with the program. Mariota is the most decorated player in school history, the first Duck and Hawaiian-born athlete to win the Heisman Trophy, and the second player in Duck history to be voted a unanimous first-team All-American.
Grasu, another inductee for this years' class, was alongside Mariota during the historic 2014 season, culminating in a face-off and loss against the Ohio State Buckeyes for the National Championship. The two have remained close throughout the years after both entering the 2015 NFL Draft.
Grasu even lived at Mariota's house when the center signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2019. The two were also briefly teammates again when Grasu signed to the Las Vegas Raiders' practice squad in 2021.
"He's my best friend," Mariota said. "To be able to go in [the hall of fame] with him is truly remarkable and quite the journey. Past Oregon, we played on a couple teams together and he's just an unbelievale person, an unbelieveable man. Just to have him by my side and to have him as a teammate is something that I've been truly grateful for and I look forward to celebrating this moment with him as well."
Now, with the two former teammates and friends joining the ranks of 239 iconic Oregon athletes and 30 teams previously enshrined in the Hall of Fame, there's even more to celebrate. When asked about his favorite memories with the program, Mariota pointed to the 2015 Rose Bowl, when he won the Offensive MVP in the 59-20 resounding victory over quarterback Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles.
"One of my favorite memories was being there in the Rose Bowl and winning it. It means so much to us as a community and as a team. I still have my cleats and some of those cleats still have the confetti on them, and that will be a prized possession for me for the rest of my life," Mariota said.
Mariota, Grasu, and the rest of the 2025 class of inductees will be honored at a banquet the week of the upcoming November 22 Oregon football game against the USC Trojans.
