Dave Martinson

St. Paul Swordsmen Class of 85 | Child of God | Hubby | Dad | Son | Brother | Friend | Psalm 23 | Health & Wellbeing Coach |

[DK🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 @1Nicdar]

130 schools said no.
He led the losingest program in college football history to a national championship anyway.
Fernando Mendoza was a 2-star recruit from Miami.

He tried to walk on at his hometown school. They passed.
So did FIU.
So did FAU.
So did everyone else.

At 17, he was sitting in his bedroom, crying over a silent recruiting inbox—after driving to 18 camps with his dad and sending highlights to more than 100 programs.
Not one FBS offer.
His only option? Yale. No scholarship. No NFL path.

Everyone told him to be “realistic.”
“Know your place.”
“Be grateful.”
He didn’t listen.
Because Mendoza understood something most people miss:
The worst outcome isn’t failing.
It’s never getting the chance to try.

Two weeks before signing day in 2022, his phone rang.
Cal needed a body. One offer. Out of 134 schools.
He took it.
He arrived as the third-string quarterback.
Spent a year on the scout team.
Lost his first four starts.
Got sacked 41 times behind a broken offensive line.

Still got up. Every time.
Then Cal brought in a transfer instead of building around him.
So Mendoza left the only school that had ever said yes.
He transferred to Indiana—the losingest program in college football history.

People laughed.
“Career suicide.”
“Graveyard program.”
“Nobody wins there.”
One coach told him something different:
“I’m going to make you the best Fernando Mendoza possible.”
That was enough.
Mendoza wasn’t just playing for football.
His mother has battled multiple sclerosis for 18 years.

Before every snap, he thought of her.
“My mother is my why.”
Indiana went 16–0.
Beat six Top-10 teams.
Won their first Big Ten title since 1945.
Mendoza threw 41 touchdowns.
Won the Heisman—first in school history.
First Cuban-American to ever do it.

Then came the title game.
Miami. Near his hometown.
Fourth-and-4. Season on the line.
Quarterback draw.
The kid 134 schools rejected spun through defenders and dove into the end zone.

Game over.
Indiana—national champions.
The losingest program became the best team in America.
All because a 17-year-old refused to believe “no” was the end.

Rankings don’t decide your ceiling.
Gatekeepers don’t write your ending.
Being overlooked isn’t a verdict—it’s a starting point.

Sometimes all you need is one shot…
and the courage to bet on yourself when nobody else will.
Don’t quit.

Credit: Barclay Mullins

[Derrick Evans @DerrickEvans4WV]

🚨BREAKING: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing to end property taxes nationwide, arguing homeowners shouldn’t pay the government just to keep what they own.

Do you support eliminating property taxes?

[Dave Martinson @davidmartinson]

Amen

[Dave Martinson @davidmartinson]

Amen

[Stay with God @StayWithGod111]

Read it once and miracles will happen

[Jeremy Wayne Tate @JeremyTate41]

This man brought the pre-game Catholic Mass back to Notre Dame football. All players attend. Absolute boss move.

[Chris Stefanick @ChrisStefanick]

Pope Leo XIV is calling all Catholics to a day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world this Friday, August 22. This is such a powerful act of faith that can bring about miracles.

Repost this video to spread the word and join in this prayerful sacrifice that our world needs right now.

[Bishop Robert Barron @BishopBarron]

Still another attack on religious liberty.

[Jon Root @JonnyRoot_]

“When I get called home to heaven one day, if all they talk about is this gold jacket, then I failed miserably as a father, a husband, & a friend. You two, [my daughters], are my legacy… Always put Christ first.”
- NFL Hall of Fame Inductee Jared Allen

[Elephant Signal 🐘🇺🇸 @ElephantSignal]

🚨 JUST NOW: J.D. Vance proposes an amendment to make Election Day a national holiday, requiring in-person voting with paper ballots and ID for registered U.S. citizens.

Do you support J.D. Vance's proposal?

A. YES
B. NO

[Senator Ted Cruz @SenTedCruz]

Justice Clarence Thomas is among the most faithful stewards of the U.S. Constitution the Supreme Court has ever seen.

He is a patriot, an intellectual giant, and the living embodiment of the American Dream.

Please join me in wishing him a happy 77th birthday.

[Conservative Brief @ConservBrief]

WHOOPS!!!

It would be a shame if this video of Nancy Pelosi saying a President doesn't need Congressional approval to order a military strike went viral - especially after she declared President Trump hitting Iran as unconstitutional...

[Elephant Signal 🐘🇺🇸 @ElephantSignal]

🚨BREAKING: PRESIDENT TRUMP'S TERM LIMITS PLAN- Trump's plan limits House members to 6 years and senators to 12 years, which would remove 73% of the 115th Congress, including 318 House reps and 46 senators, to "Drain The Swamp."

Do you support this Plan?

A. YES
B. NO

[Johnny Midnight ⚡️ @its_The_Dr]

Keep her name out there!

[👉M-Û-R-Č-H👈 @TheEXECUTlONER_]

A sweet little boy with Cerebral Palsy walks for his dad for the first time when he returns from a long deployment.

If you are ever down and need a pick me up, come back and watch this video.

[Mark Lambert @sitsio]

Habemus Papum indeed!

[Wolf of X @WolfofX]

The military tradition of "tapping out" requires graduates to stand still until a loved one taps them on the shoulder at their graduation ceremony..and his little one does it

[Rapid Response 47 @RapidResponse47]

Pittsburgh Steelers legend and Vietnam War veteran Rocky Bleier, along with current players QB Mason Rudolph and DB Miles Killebrew, present @POTUS with a 47 Steelers jersey. ⚫️🟡🏈