As Fernando Mendoza, the breakout superstar quarterback who helmed Indiana University's miracle college football championship run, celebrated his team's historic national championship win on Monday night, he made time for a very special celebratory moment.
Video from the field after Indiana's thrilling 27-21 victory over the University of Miami shows Mendoza sharing a warm, emotional embrace with both of his parents, whom he has credited for being the support system behind his successful college career and season.
The star quarterback has shown deep appreciation for his family, calling them out in his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech in December.
"My family's unconditional love and belief kept me going and pushed me forward. These are the people who built me long before football did," he said at time.
Read on below for everything to know about Fernando Mendoza's family.
In an essay she penned for the Players Tribune in December, titled "Dear Fernando," Fernando Mendoza's mother Elsa Mendoza shared that she became pregnant with him at age 25, after moving from Miami to Boston following graduate school.
"It was exciting but it was scary. And your dad had to work a lot, which meant that for a while it was mostly just you and me," she wrote at the time, adding, "...We'd watch TV, we'd play music, we'd buy groceries, we'd go to the park….. maybe this is silly to say about a newborn, but to me you were more like my buddy. And it's like we were each dealing with our own exciting/scary new thing. And the way we got through it was together."
She described herself as her son's "very first teammate" and called him a "gentle giant."
Elsewhere in the essay, Elsa Mendoza opened up about being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, or MS, 18 years ago.
The mother of the star quarterback has been spotted previously at Fernando Mendoza's various games and events in a wheelchair.
"You've made it so much easier. And you've done that in the sweetest, strongest, most Fernando way possible -- by making me feel the exact opposite of embarrassed. You've made me feel seen," she wrote.
At his Heisman Trophy ceremony in December, Fernando Mendoza shouted out his mother, dedicating the award to her.
"This is your trophy as much as it is mine," he said at the time. "You've always been my biggest fan. You're my light. You're my why. Your sacrifices, courage, love, those have been my first playbook."
Mendoza and his family have fundraised for MS research on several occasions, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Fernando Mendoza's father Dr. Fernando Mendoza is the chief of pediatrics and medical director of pediatric emergency at Baptist Hospital and Homestead Hospital in the Miami area and attended the same high school as his son.
Christopher Columbus High School recently shared a photo on Instagram showing the father-son duo's school pictures, noting that the elder Mendoza also played high school football for the school.
The younger Mendoza has also been vocal about his father's support, highlighting his guidance in his Heisman acceptance speech.
"Papi, thank you for grounding me. Thank you for holding me accountable when it was always tough," he said. "You personify commitment. You picked all of us up whenever we needed it most."
Alberto Mendoza, also a quarterback at Indiana University, is Fernando Mendoza's younger brother.
Alberto Mendoza played backup quarterback to his older brother for much of the 2025 season, managing five touchdowns in his career at Indiana so far.
Alberto Mendoza's next destination is unclear, as he has entered the college football transfer portal, and has three years of college eligibility remaining.
In his Heisman speech this past December, Fernando Mendoza paid tribute to his brother, saying, "My lifelong teammate Alberto, my brother, my closest confidant, the one I trust more than anybody to get through a tough day, tough play, tough game, I love you, bro."
Fernando Mendoza also has a younger brother named Max.
The eldest Mendoza honored his youngest sibling in his speech in December.
"To my little brother Max, thank you for bringing joy to me and everyone around you. Your joy is infectious. Love you, bro," he said at the time.
