Marv Marinovich
Encyclopedia
Marv Marinovich is a retired American football
offensive guard and sports trainer.
, in northern California. The area was owned by his Croatian grandfather, J. G. Marinovich, who had supposedly been in the Russian Army and overseen the battlefield amputation of his own arm. Marinovich attended Watsonville High School
.
, where the team went undefeated and won the 1958 national junior-college championship. From there he transferred to the University of Southern California
. At USC, Marinovich was a two-way lineman and a captain of the USC team that won the 1962 national championship; however, during the 1963 Rose Bowl
he was ejected for fighting. Known for his passion, he was named Most Inspirational Player by his teammates. In college he met his wife, Trudi (née Fertig), who was a sorority girl at USC; she dropped out of college after her sophomore year to marry Marinovich.
, and was drafted in the 12th round of the 1962 NFL Draft
by the Los Angeles Rams and in the 1962 AFL Draft
by the Oakland Raiders
. After a disappointing three year career, where he over-trained himself based on weight and bulk with little time for recovery, Marinovich left to focus on sports training.
training methods and was hired by Oakland Raiders
owner, Al Davis
, as one of the NFL's first strength-and-conditioning coaches. Marinovich learned to focus more on training for speed and flexibility, and much of his work became the basis for modern core- and swimming-pool-based conditioning programs. He later worked for the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals
, and then the Hawaiians
of the World Football League
. He eventually moved his young family in with his in-laws on the Balboa Peninsula
of Newport Beach, California
. He later opened his own athletic research center, and began applying the techniques to his children, Traci and Todd Marinovich
, introducing athletic training before they could leave the crib and continuing it throughout childhood and adolescence.
Todd Marinovich became a high school football legend, dominating all records in Orange County
and coming to national attention when Sports Illustrated
published an article, titled "Bred To Be A Superstar", that discussed his unique upbringing under his father who wanted to turn his son into the "perfect quarterback". The article declared Marinovich "America's first test-tube athlete", and mentioned his mother took him to museums, played him classical music and jazz while banning cartoons as too violent and instead viewing films by Alfred Hitchcock
. Marv Marinovich had assembled a team of advisers to tutor him on every facet of the game. In a noted passage, the article described that:
Because of his strict upbringing and almost mechanical lifestyle under his father, some nicknamed him the "Robo QB." Todd Marinovich went on to have a solid career at USC, but began to show signs of emotional rebellion against his strict upbringing under his father; by the time he entered the NFL as a first round draft pick, he soon became a major bust due to personal issues. As a result, an ESPN
columnist named the elder Marinovich one of history's "worst sports fathers."
In May 2009, Marinovich became the strength and conditioning coach for MMA fighter BJ Penn for his August 8 title defense against Kenny Florian
, at UFC 101
in the main event. Penn defeated Florian by a rear naked choke at 3:54 of the 4th round to retain the UFC lightweight title. http://www.bjpenn.com/ and then following with another win against Diego Sanchez
via 5th round tko due to a cut.
Marv has also trained hundreds of Elite pro athletes who continue to be strong advocates of Marvs method including Troy Polamalu, Tyson Chandler, Steve Finley, and Jason Giambi.
and Mikhail Marinovich. His brother-in-law is Craig Fertig
, who was also a former USC football player.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive guard and sports trainer.
Early years
Marv Marinovich grew up with his extended family on a three-thousand-acre (12 km²) ranch in WatsonvilleWatsonville, California
Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 51,199 according to the 2010 census.Located on the central coast of California, the economy centers predominantly around the farming industry. It is known for growing strawberries, apples, lettuce and a host...
, in northern California. The area was owned by his Croatian grandfather, J. G. Marinovich, who had supposedly been in the Russian Army and overseen the battlefield amputation of his own arm. Marinovich attended Watsonville High School
Watsonville High School
Watsonville High School is a high school located in Watsonville, California in Santa Cruz County, and is part of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. This is an open campus school, thus students are able to leave and come back after lunch...
.
College career
Marinovich went to Santa Monica CollegeSanta Monica College
Santa Monica College is a two-year, public, junior college located in Santa Monica, California.Santa Monica College was first opened in 1929 as Santa Monica Junior College. Current enrollment is over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study...
, where the team went undefeated and won the 1958 national junior-college championship. From there he transferred to the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. At USC, Marinovich was a two-way lineman and a captain of the USC team that won the 1962 national championship; however, during the 1963 Rose Bowl
1963 Rose Bowl
The 1963 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1963 at the end of the 1962 college football season. It was the 49th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers, 42–37...
he was ejected for fighting. Known for his passion, he was named Most Inspirational Player by his teammates. In college he met his wife, Trudi (née Fertig), who was a sorority girl at USC; she dropped out of college after her sophomore year to marry Marinovich.
Pro career
Marinovich entered professional football during the era of NFL and AFL competitive draftsAFL and NFL Era competitive college drafts
During the first seven years of existence of the American Football League , the AFL and the NFL held separate, competing drafts for college football talent....
, and was drafted in the 12th round of the 1962 NFL Draft
1962 NFL Draft
The 1962 National Football League Draft was held on December 4, 1961.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF: Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...
by the Los Angeles Rams and in the 1962 AFL Draft
1962 American Football League Draft
-Boston Patriots draft picks :-Buffalo Bills draft picks :-Dallas Texans draft picks :-Denver Broncos draft picks :-Houston Oilers draft picks :...
by the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. After a disappointing three year career, where he over-trained himself based on weight and bulk with little time for recovery, Marinovich left to focus on sports training.
Post Football
Marinovich studied Eastern BlocEastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
training methods and was hired by Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
owner, Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
, as one of the NFL's first strength-and-conditioning coaches. Marinovich learned to focus more on training for speed and flexibility, and much of his work became the basis for modern core- and swimming-pool-based conditioning programs. He later worked for the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, and then the Hawaiians
The Hawaiians
The Hawaiians were a professional American football team based out of Honolulu that played in the World Football League. They played two seasons, 1974 and 1975. Their records were 9-11 in 1974 and 4-7-1 in 1975. Their home stadium was Honolulu Stadium in 1974 and Aloha Stadium in 1975...
of the World Football League
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
. He eventually moved his young family in with his in-laws on the Balboa Peninsula
Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach, California
The Balboa Peninsula is a neighborhood of the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. It is named for the famous Spanish explorer, Vasco Núñez de Balboa....
of Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. He later opened his own athletic research center, and began applying the techniques to his children, Traci and Todd Marinovich
Todd Marinovich
Todd Marvin Marinovich is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. He played for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League, and also in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League...
, introducing athletic training before they could leave the crib and continuing it throughout childhood and adolescence.
Todd Marinovich became a high school football legend, dominating all records in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
and coming to national attention when Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
published an article, titled "Bred To Be A Superstar", that discussed his unique upbringing under his father who wanted to turn his son into the "perfect quarterback". The article declared Marinovich "America's first test-tube athlete", and mentioned his mother took him to museums, played him classical music and jazz while banning cartoons as too violent and instead viewing films by Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
. Marv Marinovich had assembled a team of advisers to tutor him on every facet of the game. In a noted passage, the article described that:
Because of his strict upbringing and almost mechanical lifestyle under his father, some nicknamed him the "Robo QB." Todd Marinovich went on to have a solid career at USC, but began to show signs of emotional rebellion against his strict upbringing under his father; by the time he entered the NFL as a first round draft pick, he soon became a major bust due to personal issues. As a result, an ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
columnist named the elder Marinovich one of history's "worst sports fathers."
In May 2009, Marinovich became the strength and conditioning coach for MMA fighter BJ Penn for his August 8 title defense against Kenny Florian
Kenny Florian
Kenneth Alan Florian is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, and is known for his cerebral approach to the sport based on his meticulous game plans and...
, at UFC 101
UFC 101
UFC 101: Declaration was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
in the main event. Penn defeated Florian by a rear naked choke at 3:54 of the 4th round to retain the UFC lightweight title. http://www.bjpenn.com/ and then following with another win against Diego Sanchez
Diego Sánchez
Diego J. Sanchez is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent, with a background in wrestling and Gaidojutsu, system of submission wrestling developed by his longtime trainer Greg Jackson...
via 5th round tko due to a cut.
Marv has also trained hundreds of Elite pro athletes who continue to be strong advocates of Marvs method including Troy Polamalu, Tyson Chandler, Steve Finley, and Jason Giambi.
Family
Marinovich is the father of Traci Marinovich Grove, Todd MarinovichTodd Marinovich
Todd Marvin Marinovich is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. He played for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League, and also in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League...
and Mikhail Marinovich. His brother-in-law is Craig Fertig
Craig Fertig
-External links:...
, who was also a former USC football player.