Fernando Mendoza was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Cuban American parents, and raised in Miami. He is a graduate of Christopher Columbus High School — following his grandfather, his father, and his brother Alberto, now the quarterback for Georgia Tech. His youngest brother, Max will enroll in Columbus this fall.

All four of his grandparents were born in Cuba. His paternal grandmother, Marta, came to the United States as a child through Operation Pedro Pan — the historic effort that brought more than 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children to American soil to protect them from the forced communist indoctrination.

After a standout high school career, Mendoza received one scholarship offer — from Yale University. He ultimately chose the University of California, Berkeley, where he played for three years and earned a degree in finance before transferring to Indiana University.

At Indiana, he led the Hoosiers — a program with the worst all-time wins record in college football — to an undefeated season, the National Championship, and he won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in the U.S. His mother played intercollegiate tennis at the University of Miami, the Hurricanes were Indiana's opponent at the championship game played in Miami.

The Las Vegas Raiders selected him with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft and shared the announcement at a family event in Coral Gables. Their first regular season game will be against the Miami Dolphins.

Mendoza has proudly spoken about his Cuban American heritage in media appearances watched by billions worldwide. At his Heisman acceptance, he addressed his parents and grandparents in Spanish. When he mentioned his grandfather and him having a tradition of sharing a “cafecito”— a moment that became a national television commercial featuring his grandfather. He has demonstrated equal commitment off the field, including a $500,000 donation toward Muscular Dystrophy research, a cause personal to his family.

FACE is proud to honor Fernando Mendoza with the Special Award — a Miami kid who carried his grandparents' sacrifice all the way to the top of American football.