Former NFL lineman and strength coach Marv Marinovich — a Watsonville High alum who captained USC’s 1962 national championship team — died Thursday at 81, USC reported.
A family member spoke with the Sentinel early Thursday said Marinovoch, who was battling Alzheimer’s, was in hospice in Southern California and wasn’t expected to survive the weekend. He was surrounded by family at the time of his passing.
After shining at Watsonville, Marinovich helped Santa Monica College win the 1958 JC National Championship before transferring to USC.
He lettered for the Trojans in 1959, ’61 and ’62 as a two-way lineman. The ’62 USC team that he captained went 11-0, including a 42-37 victory over Wisconsin in the ’63 Rose Bowl. He was named USC’s Most Inspirational Player award and was chosen to play in the Hula Bowl as a senior.
“He was a great player and a great ambassador for the sport,” said Steve Cox, former Cabrillo College football coach. “He was part of the lore. He was part of the history of the valley. Whenever you talked about the greats from the area back in the day, his name always came up.”
After a brief career with the Raiders, Marinovich became the team’s strength and conditioning coach. He also held similar roles with the St. Louis Cardinals and the World Football League’s Hawaii franchise.
Marinovich checked in at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds in his playing days.
“He carried himself like he knew what the hell he was doing,” said Bob Bugalski, 90, a former teacher at Watsonville who saw Marinovich on golf courses and various functions. “He was well built. At the time, he was very intimidating.”
Bugalski had a fun side and was friendly. “To me, the whole family was nice,” he said. “We had a lot of fun together.”
He then opened his own sports performance, training and research centers. His philosophy was based on Eastern Bloc training methods that focused on speed and flexibility. Among the professional athletes he trained, in addition to son Todd, were NFLers Dwight Lowery, Troy Polamalu and Jason Sehorn, NBAer Tyson Chandler, MLBer Steve Finley, and MMA fighter BJ Penn.
Marinovich’s two sons, Todd, 51, and Mikhail, 32, followed their father into the college football ranks. Todd was a quarterback at USC and Los Angeles Raiders, and Mikhail was a defensive end at Syracuse.
In addition to all his contributions to training, Marinovich will also be remembered for his strict and regimented raising of Todd. Featured in Sports Illustrated, among other national publications, the Trojans’ former signal caller was dubbed a “test-tube QB.”
In addition to his two sons, he is survived by his daughter, Traci Marinovich Grove, his brother, Gary, and several grandchildren.
USCTrojans.com contributed to this report.