TOP GUN : Todd Marinovich Had His Sights Set Early on Shooting Down Records

There’s something askew when a 17-year-old tells you all he wants out of an exceptional high school athletic career is to be considered normal.

But such is Todd Marinovich’s bittersweet world. It’s one that already includes starting at quarterback on the Mater Dei High varsity as a freshman, and soon is expected to set the Orange County record for career passing yardage. He is likely to set the record tonight when his new school, Capistrano Valley, plays host to Saddleback at 7:30.

In a life that as been spent in as bright a light as high school sports can provide, Marinovich is, as you like:

-A star quarterback who has succeeded through hard work and a supportive family.

-A star quarterback with no will of his own, controlled by his father, a muscle-bound Geppetto bent on carving himself a professional quarterback.

Though Todd and most of those close to him say the former is true, it’s the latter that sells. Can’t you just see the movie? Haven’t you already?

Todd’s father, Marv, is a former lineman for USC and the Raiders. He captained USC’s 1962 national championship team. He played three years for the Raiders and then was an assistant coach with the Raiders, St. Louis Cardinals and in the World Football League. Until two years ago, he worked for the Rams, determining the physical profiles of potential draft picks and developing training programs to get maximum performance out of players.

“I’ve always been fascinated how an athlete can get the maximum performance possible,” Marv said. “That’s what I want for Todd.”

So Marv eliminated preservatives and sugar from Todd’s diet. He made sure his son was reared on fresh fish and poultry, fruits, vegetables and raw milk.

Todd has worked on speed development with Kevin McNair, UC Irvine track coach; on power training with Michael Yessis, Cal State Fullerton professor; and on the mental and physical aspects of playing his position with Bill Cunerty, Saddleback College quarterback coach.

Marv has attended all of Todd’s practices at Mater Dei and Capistrano Valley, where he transferred last spring.

All of which has made some think Marv has taken too active an interest.

“He’s only done things for my good,” Todd said.

Indeed, if you’re going to fault a guy for providing his son a nutritious diet, what next? Burn him in effigy when he teaches proper sleeping habits?

“I can’t understand it,” Todd said. “This has always gotten too much attention. When I was a freshman, I heard a lot of ‘that stuff you eat’ talk from other players. It’s no big deal. It’s not just me, it’s what my family eats.

“I’m no different from anyone else. My dad just happens to care about what happens to me. I wish people could just realize that I’m not a robot and think of me as a normal person.”

Marv said: “Look, I didn’t set out to build a monster. This is my son we’re talking about, and I want the best for him. I don’t care what other people say or think, (making sure Todd has the best) is what is most important to me.”

One thing people seem to overlook is that for all of Marv’s expertise, for all of the other experts Todd has come in contact with, it has been Todd who has done the work.

It was Todd who ran home 1 1/2 miles after a Junior All-American practice in which Marv felt he didn’t give 100%. It was Todd who trained to build up his skinny frame.

It was Todd who threw four touchdown passes and rallied Mater Dei to a 27-25 victory over Servite last year. It was Todd who threw three touchdown passes in a 27-3 victory over St. John Bosco in the first round of the 1985 Big Five playoffs, despite a severe ear infection that impaired his balance and left him disoriented in the fourth quarter when he had to be taken out.

And it was Todd who broke the tip of his left thumb (he is left-handed) in his first game for Capistrano Valley against Foothill. Todd was driven to a hospital emergency room by Marv where he was treated and was told he could continue playing that night. He returned to throw for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns in the final 8:29, but his team’s rally fell short, 28-26.

“I guess it’s in the genes,” said Todd when asked where he gets his fortitude. “My dad or no one else has forced me to do anything I don’t want to do. I play because I love it.”

Marinovich’s problem is that for such a quiet kid, his life has been played out on such a grand scale.

Any freshman starting on the varsity turns heads. But a freshman starting at quarterback for a traditional power such as Mater Dei raises eyebrows.

In what proved to be prophetic words, Chuck Gallo, Mater Dei coach, said: “If he was playing freshmen ball, he’d be throwing into unsophisticated secondaries, he’d be having fun with his friends and he’d be playing in front of a handful of people. Instead, he’ll be playing in front of 10,000 fans at Santa Ana Stadium against Servite and Bishop Amat. That’s a lot of stress for a young man, a lot of burden for him to carry.”

After throwing for 4,358 yards and 34 touchdowns his first two seasons, Marinovich carried his burden to Capistrano Valley.

The motives of the move, and whose motives they were, were scrutinized. Many believed that Marv Marinovich was upset with Gallo and forced Todd to leave a school he loved.

Asked at the time, Gallo said: “His dad basically feels he’s getting hit too much here, so he’s taking him somewhere else . . . He (Marv) wanted to work with our offensive linemen and wanted us to change our splits (blocking assignments). There was a strain there, how can a kid go against his father?”

Todd said: “No matter what people say, the decision to leave was mine. There were a lot of rumors going around if I was going to leave, so about a week before I decided to leave, I said I was going to stay. There was just so much pressure, that I didn’t really think about, I just didn’t want to deal with all that stuff. I told my dad, and he said ‘OK.’ ”

Marinovich said he decided to transfer after thinking about games against Westminster, in which he was sacked five times, and against Bishop Amat, when he sustained a bruised tail bone when he was sacked.

“I really like the school and I still have a lot of good friends there, but I just decided for my own good I had to leave,” he said.

Marinovich, a 6-foot 4-inch, 200-pound junior, needs only 81 yards to pass Shane Foley’s record of 5,264 yards. Foley set his record during the 1984 and 1985 seasons at Newport Harbor.

A mention of the record elicits only a half-smirk on Marinovich’s forever 12-year-old face.

What does the record mean to him?

“Not much.”

Does this mean he is greatest quarterback in county history?

“Of course not. No way.”

Indeed it does not. Foley set the mark in two seasons. Former county standouts such as Servite’s Steve Beuerlein, now of Notre Dame, and Capistrano Valley’s Scott Stark, now of Stanford, started for just one season.

No surprisingly, the Marinoviches spent a lot of time choosing where Todd would play. They chose Mater Dei, then Capistrano Valley, because the coaching staffs at both schools are dedicated to passing.

“I’ve put too much time in to not care if a coach is going to pass or not,” Todd said.

And he will, barring injury, have four seasons to set a mark that might be difficult to reach. After those four seasons, he will undoubtedly be wooed by many colleges.

But, as for his dream of being just another kid in uniform, well, that will probably remain as far out of his reach as his passing record will be to others.

TODD MARINOVICH’S STATISTICS

Opponent Att Comp Yds 1984 Fountain Valley 22 12 159 Santa Ana Valley 29 13 167 Santa Ana 38 19 209 Westminster 18 13 166 Huntington Beach 32 20 189 Bishop Amat 32 15 192 Bishop Montgomery 26 20 239 Pius X 32 21 277 St. Paul 36 21 196 Servite 26 13 225 1985 Fountain Valley 44 21 220 Santa Ana Valley 33 18 201 Santa Ana 19 10 105 Westminster 25 13 132 Huntington Beach 44 25 257 St. Paul 28 17 161 Bishop Amat 31 16 213 Bishop Montgomery 41 17 155 Pius X 24 9 121 Servite 28 17 272 St. John Bosco 30 20 284 Westminster 32 12 177 1986 Foothill 17 9 205 Canyon 27 15 260 Corona del Mar 18 7 140 Estancia 26 16 221