This Monday night (1/19), the Hoosiers of Indiana University will be playing the University of Miami Hurricanes in the college football national championship game. The player to watch is Indiana’s starting quarterback, a young man named Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza has had an outstanding season, leading Indiana to an undefeated regular season and to the cusp of the school’s first national championship in football. He also received the 2025 Heisman Award, as the most outstanding player of the year. A few weeks after receiving the award, on Christmas Eve, Mendoza called Fr. Patrick Hyde, the priest who runs the Catholic center at the university, asking if he could stop in to see him before going home for Christmas. Fr. Hyde was touched by Mendoza’s thoughtfulness, knowing how busy the young man was. Within an hour, Mendoza showed up, carrying a cardboard box containing the iconic Heisman trophy. There’s a great photo online of Mendoza holding the Heisman flanked on both sides by the priests of the Catholic center.
In press conferences and interviews, Fernando Mendoza speaks very freely and naturally about his faith, often deflecting praise away from himself to give glory to God for his many achievements. When asked about game day rituals, Mendoza eschews “hype music” in favor of prayerful meditation, and he likes to watch daily Mass before the game. As the natural leader of the team, he tries to foster comradery among the players by scheduling weekly team dinners and by participating in Bible studies with them. He has also said that he often prays the rosary, inviting teammates to join him before they depart for away games. On The Pat McAfee Show, former NFL linebacker A.J. Hawke attested to Mendoza’s impact on the team: “It’s impossible to root against this guy. He and [his teammates], when you hear them speak, they’ve got something special going on over there. I’m a huge fan of Mendoza.”
On a personal note, this magical year for the Hoosier football program happens to coincide with my nephew’s freshman year at Indiana University. One Sunday night in late September, he sent me a text, asking if I was free to talk. He had just left Mass and told me that the church was packed with fellow college students. Among them was Fernando Mendoza, who was sitting just a few pews away from him with some of his teammates. My nephew was impressed, as was I. In a recent interview, Fr. Hyde remarked: “The opportunity Fernando has had to share his faith in simple ways through his platform has been a blessing.” Even though he has been the best college player on Saturdays (the day most college games are played), “[on Sundays] he is just another person at Mass praying with everybody else. That steadfastness has been his witness to our community here at Indiana.” Unlike Fr. Hyde, I’ve never met Fernando Mendoza. But I too am grateful for the good example he has shown to the Catholic students at Indiana University, including my nephew, by making his relationship with Christ – including faithful attendance at Sunday Mass – a priority, even with his intensely busy schedule. Like A.J. Hawke, I’m a huge fan of Mendoza. And I will be rooting for a Hoosier victory Monday night.
posted 1/17/26
The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel 