Right after the title ceremony, the too-good-to-be-true moment for Indiana quarterback and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza after winning a national title Monday, he immediately sought out his family.
Holding a championship hat in one hand, the projected No. 1 pick made sure to share the moment with his wheelchair-bound mother, Elsa, and father, Fernando Sr., as captured by WESH.
The moment is one that the Mendoza family will cherish forever, especially the mother-son connection due to the close bond the two share, with the quarterback previously labeling his mother his “best friend.”
Fernando Mendoza hugs his mom after the win. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“This is a dream come true,” Elsa, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), told reporters after the game.
Fernando has truly achieved a Hollywood-esque ending to his collegiate career, pioneering arguably the greatest season in college football history after downing Miami, 27-21, to finish 16-0 this season.
The projected next Raiders quarterback made it abundantly clear throughout this dream season that he would not be where he is today without his mother.
He called Elsa his “best friend” in a video posted by X account @HoosiersConnect in December, and draws inspiration from her battle with MS.
MS is “a disease that causes breakdown of the protective covering of nerves,” and can affect one’s ability to walk, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Fernando even partnered with an Indiana business to create the “Mendoza Burrito,” with all the proceeds going to the National MS Society.
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza after winning the national title. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
“But her happiness, her joy and her determination is what inspires me every single day, and that’s what pushes me,” Fernando said. “If I’m in a workout and I’m feeling tired and a little thought in my mind, ‘Oh, maybe you should just skip out on this set or something,’ I’ll be like, ‘My mom is out here every single day putting a ton of work and still with a great attitude, and a great positive attitude in everything she does.’”
Mendoza, in his first season with Indiana, led one of the greatest college football success stories by taking a usual bottom-feeder to the top of the Big Ten, knocking off reigning national champion Ohio State in the championship title game, and defeating legacy programs in Alabama, Oregon and Miami in the playoffs.
His standout season earned him the Heisman Trophy.
Elsa Mendoza and Fernando Sr. AP
Before the award ceremony, Elsa wrote an essay to her son recapping his journey to that point and thanking him for helping her during tough times.
“But 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. Whether it was giving me full debriefs of your college visits, what you liked and disliked (pictures included) … or it was calling me before some big game I had to miss while in treatment … or it’s being so vocal and passionate about MS fundraising … or it’s even something as silly as joking, “Wait, did you put on a few pounds???” when you have to carry me up the stairs … you’ve always kept that same spark in your eye,” Elsa wrote on Dec. 11, 2025. “No matter what kind of state I’ve been in, or day I’ve been having — you’ve never once looked away. You’ve never once treated me like I’m embarrassing, or deficient, or anything other than someone you love and are standing by. And even as my condition has gotten worse, and as our lives continue to change around that fact: You manage to make me feel like I’m still every part of myself. Like I’m still that same person you’ve been teammates with since we got through our first Boston winter together. Like I’m still that same mom.”
When he won the Heisman, he broke down while honoring his mother, who also cried.
“Mommy, this is your trophy as much as it’s mine,” he said. “You’ve always been my biggest fan, you’re my light, you’re my why, you’re my biggest supporter. Your sacrifices, courage, love, those have been my first playbook and the playbook I’m going to carry throughout my side throughout my entire life.”
ESPN showed Elsa and Fernando Sr. throughout the game celebrating, especially after his Herculean fourth-down touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give Indiana a 24-14 lead.
Indiana’s defense ultimately intercepted Carson Beck to seal the game, giving the Mendoza family one last treasured celebration from a perfect season.
