Raiders lineman and icon of obsessive athletic parents, Marv Marinovich dies at 81



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Marv Marinovich, who had a brief professional football career but is remembered mostly for his attempt to make his son Todd Marinovich the perfect NFL quarterback, has died aged 81 .

Marinovich played on both the offensive and defensive lines at USC and was captain of the 1962 squad that won the national championship, but his intensity and volatility was still visible, as he was ejected from the game. This year’s Rose Bowl vs. Wisconsin No.2. to fight.

The Raiders drafted Marinovich and he spent three years with the organization, but only came onto the field for one regular season game. Still, he impressed Raiders owner Al Davis enough that Davis hired Marinovich to be a strength and conditioning coach with the Raiders.

It was as a strength and conditioning trainer that Marinovich had the greatest impact, but the obsessive way he coached his son has become the subject of much controversy. Marv Marinovich began trying to turn Todd Marinovich into an NFL star as a child and has dictated his exercise and nutrition routine every day as a child. Todd Marinovich grew up never visiting McDonald’s or getting a slice of the pie at friends birthday parties because that didn’t fit Marv Marinovich’s plan for his son to become a superstar.

When Todd Marinovich became the starting quarterback at USC and then a first-round pick for the Raiders, some thought Marv’s tactics had been justified. But Todd Marinovich caught fire in the NFL and struggled with drug addiction, and Marv Marinovich was widely looked down upon as the worst example of a sports parent who put undue pressure on his son in an attempt to achieve his own dreams.

Marv Marinovich, however, went on to become a successful coach for several NFL players and other professional athletes, and he was respected in the field of strength and conditioning. He will be remembered for coaching many NFL players and for pushing his son’s training too far.


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