Oregon’s McLemore Wishes His Biggest Fan Could Be at Game

Playing against USC would be special in any season for Oregon wide receiver Cristin McLemore, who grew up in Torrance and was a football star at Marina High after moving to Huntington Beach.

A year ago in Eugene, McLemore caught seven passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns, but the Trojans won, 24-13. It was one of his better performances in a sparkling sophomore season. Only his game against Stanford, in which he had 11 receptions for 230 yards and three touchdowns, was better.

For the season, McLemore had 50 catches for 791 yards and 10 touchdowns, ranking him among the nation’s top 50 receivers.

Today’s game against USC at the Coliseum, however, will take on even more importance for McLemore.

It will be a personal homecoming, and McLemore could use a calculator to keep track of family members and friends who plan to attend the game. The group will include one of his uncles, Mark McLemore, an infielder with the Baltimore Orioles.

But this game has become even more special to McLemore because of someone who won’t be there. Victor Marin died in May of a heart attack.

“He was like my godfather,” McLemore said. “He meant a lot to me, and it’s really been hard for me to realize he’s gone. He really cared a lot about me and my career. He was a great USC football fan, but I know if he were there he would be pulling for me to do well. I’ve sort of dedicated this season to him.”

McLemore spent considerable time in the Marin home in Los Angeles while growing up.

“Victor’s wife, Rita, provided our child care when I was working,” said McLemore’s mother, Janet, who still lives in Torrance. “I was a single parent, and I was working as a nursing administrator. Victor and his wife were wonderful to us as a family, and Victor took great interest in Cristin. This is the first death of someone close to him that Cristin has had to face.”

McLemore’s mother and father separated, then divorced in 1981.

“One of the things his mother and I decided was that I would always be a big part of his life,” said his father, Lou, who is in sales and lives in Irvine. “I feel I’ve been able to do that.” Cristin moved to Huntington Beach to live with his father for his final three years of high school.

Marin remained a big fan at that point, as well. “He always really enjoyed coming to watch Cristin play football,” Lou said.

Cristin McLemore remembers well. “He could just look at you, and smile, and make you feel better when you were down about something,” he said.

He has been fortunate, he said, to have the support he has received from Marin and his parents, as well as Mark McLemore.

“My dad has really been my man,” Cristin McLemore said. “He’s played the sport himself, and I really trust what he tells me. He keeps me up emotionally all the time. Whenever I’m down, he always tells me there are bigger and better things ahead for me. I really enjoy the relationships I have with him and with my mother.”

His father played football and baseball at San Diego Hoover High. He was more successful in baseball, a sport he played for three years in the Army.

They both say Mark has been someone Cristin has looked up to.

“He’s definitely been an inspiration to me,” McLemore said. “He’s someone who is at the pinnacle in his sport, and you really have to appreciate that. He’s also helped me with some situations that have been frustrating.”

Janet says Mark has been “a positive force” for the whole family, including Cristin’s younger brother, Brandon, a senior at Bishop Montgomery High in Torrance. Brandon, 6 feet 4 and 185 pounds, is a starter in football and basketball. He plays wide receiver and has attracted college scouts’ attention for his play as a free safety. He says he would like to play in the Pac-10.

Oregon, primarily a passing team in the last decade, has been putting more emphasis on the running game this season and is 2-2. McLemore, who was a redshirt his freshman year, didn’t have a pass thrown his way last Saturday in the Ducks’ 40-18 victory over Iowa, ending a streak of 18 consecutive games in which he had at least one reception. He had 11 catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the first three games. A year ago at this stage, he had 10 receptions for 195.

“Last week was kind of frustrating,” McLemore said. “But they were trying to establish the running game, and it worked.”

Today’s game is Oregon’s first Pac-10 outing of the season, and the Ducks will be without quarterback Danny O’Neil of Newport Beach. O’Neil, who played at Mater Dei, is sidelined because of an infected finger on his passing hand.

“I feel as badly for Danny as anything,” McLemore said. “He really wanted to play in this game. We’ll miss him, but I don’t think there will be any big dropoff between Danny and Tony.” Sophomore Tony Graziani, who has thrown only 24 passes in two seasons, will replace O’Neil.

The Ducks completed only eight passes against Iowa, but McLemore expects more passing this week, despite O’Neil’s absence.

And McLemore remains confident he still can have a good year despite a relatively slow start against nonconference opponents. McLemore is hoping for a hot streak, such as the one he had last season. During a six-game stretch in the middle of the season, McLemore caught 39 passes, scoring eight times. His 11-touchdown total for the season tied the school record set by Ahmad Rashad.

McLemore, who played quarterback during his senior year at Marina, also passed for two touchdowns last season, including one to tight end Josh Wilcox that clinched the Ducks’ victory over Washington State.

Most of all, McLemore hopes good things start happening today.

“I’ve been about as excited as I can possibly be this week,” McLemore said. “It’s a special thing because I want to have a good game for Victor. I’ve been thinking about that every day before I go to practice. And it’s special because of all the members of my family who will be at the game, too.”