Marcus Mariota meets with Campbell students, donates to school

In his first year under the spotlight, Marcus Mariota was reserved, low key, even a bit shy.

A first-year starting quarterback as a senior at Saint Louis, Mariota did all his talking on the field, sparking the Crusaders to the 2010 Open Division state football title.

Thirteen years later, the veteran NFL quarterback has the same humility and competitive nature, but shy? Not quite. Mariota was the point man on Friday as his Motiv8 Foundation and First Hawaiian Bank announced a donation of $50,000 to Campbell High School.

“I think it’s important, but I also think it’s important to be able to allocate the resources as much as you can. I think this is awesome for First Hawaiian Bank to start with the women’s initiative. It’s going to take a grouping of people to be able to make a true impact and a true difference. I’ve been very fortunate. With Saint Louis, the private schools, they’re able to facilitate some of those things a little easier. Hopefully, as the public schools kind of get going, this can be the first initiative to get that going. I would love to see all the facilities in the state get integrated.”

Mariota spent nearly an hour chatting with student leaders during lunch hour. His sense of humor is always there.

“It makes me feel old. I asked them what year they were born — when I graduated high school, they were 3-year-olds. It puts it all into perspective,” he said. “This opportunity is one that I’m really excited about.”

Ashureah Fuller, a senior with the Student Assembly at Campbell, absorbed Mariota’s message.

“We talked quite a bit with him. We talked about how he adjusted to going to school in Oregon. The biggest impact was how he was telling us to really chase our dreams, you know, as long as you put your work and dedication into your dreams, they will come true if you don’t give up,” Fuller said. “We hear that a lot, but coming from him and seeing his success made me a bit more motivated to really try. He is living proof that if you try hard enough, you can get to where you want to get to.”

The donation is part of a $1.65 million initiative spearheaded by FHB CEO Bob Harrison.

“We’re working through that. Our actual anniversary is Aug. 17, so we’re celebrating all year. We don’t have it delineated,” Harrison said. “Credit to Marcus. I mean, when he first got into professional football, the first thing he thought of was helping others. There’s very few people like that. He’s a special guy.”

Campbell softball player Lorraine Alo is a younger sister of former Sabers and Oklahoma standout Jocelyn Alo.

“I wanted to see it from his perspective, how it could have been different, how it was hard for him,” said Alo, who will play at Portland State next season. “It’s really cool. I asked him what he would tell his younger self, and he said to dream big and you can achieve anything you want as long as you have the right mindset. I took that with me. He’s very humble for how far he’s come. He’s cool.”

Mariota grew up playing soccer and football — Kalani Falcons Pop Warner — and attended an all-boys high school. Becoming a father of a young daughter widened his perspective.

“Aw man, honestly, when you get home and you hear her voice and she smiles, I can’t put into words what that feels like. She doesn’t care if I throw touchdowns or interceptions, or went to Sandy’s earlier or hit golf balls. She just hears Daddy’s voice and she puts a smile on my face,” he said. “It’s so cool to be a girl dad. It’s cool to be a part of this initiative with First Hawaiian Bank, to empower women to be who they want to be. That’s how I want to raise my little girl and I want to give her the voice to be the best version of herself.”

Mariota hopes the community pitches in to alleviate the challenges facing high schools that have lacked facilities in girls athletics. Campbell is in the midst of a Title IX lawsuit that began in 2019, citing the lack of a girls locker room. In the suit, the plaintiffs noted that they had change into practice wear under the bleachers and in a nearby fast-food restaurant restroom.

In June 2022, the state allocated $6 million to build a locker room for Campbell’s female student-athletes. A new softball and baseball field was completed last year.

For Campbell’s female student-athletes, Friday’s event was all about good news and a unified spirit that goes beyond the campus.

“It’s a really big opportunity for us and girls in general, room for growth,” All-State basketball player Aliyah Bantolina said. “We know that everybody on our faculty and our coaches are trying their best to provide for us. We know that we’re supported, but now we feel better.”

Campbell has been very successful in athletics, winning softball, girls basketball and boys basketball OIA championships in the past year. The football and baseball teams are perennial title contenders.

“First, it was, ‘Really? Wow!’ It was shock at first, and excitement knowing what this money can do for our programs,” Campbell athletic director Rory Pico said. “This $50,000 will go a long way to helping them.”

Coming home in the offseason and giving back in the most public way possible, Mariota was caught off guard when he fielded a question about coming to Campbell’s campus.

“It’s emotional for me. It really is,” he said, pausing for a minute. “It means the world.”

Mariota wiped away a tear, sipped from a water bottle and cracked a little joke.

“Why’d you have to ask that question, man?” he said.

Mariota recently signed to join the Philadelphia Eagles. Three of their assistant coaches were teammates with Mariota at one point, either with the Tennessee Titans or Oregon Ducks.

“The first thing I told those guys is, I don’t know if I can call you Coach,” he said. “We were teammates. With that being said, that support system is already in place and the fan base is unbelievable.”

Motiv8’s impact continues to grow in the islands.

“There’s always expectations for yourself and you always want to do more than you can. The amount of impact that we’ve had has definitely surpassed that for me. The credit really goes to my family and people like Bob, people with Island Insurance, just a grouping of people that have really helped me reach my goals of Motiv8 Foundation, specifically the initiatives that I want to try and carry out,” Mariota said. “With all the people that are able to do that for me, it makes coming back home that much more fun and that much more enjoyable. I’m forever grateful for those relationships and those people who will continue to be by my side and help me kind of fulfill more dreams and aspirations that we have.”

Mariota’s influence reaches current prep football standouts, too.

“I’m just glad that our school is starting to upgrade,” junior quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele said. “We’re finally getting into the new times now, so hopefully we fully upgrade our school.”

Mariota spoke with Sagapolutele.

“I think it comes down to being himself. Don’t allow people to put you in a box. Enjoy the journey, man. It’s a fun one,” Mariota said. “You’ve got all the time in the world. You’ve got the people that support you. Continue to believe in yourself and the sky’s the limit.”