Todd Marinovich - Early Development

Early Development

Some guys think the most important thing in life is their jobs, the stock market, whatever. To me, it was my kids. The question I asked myself was, How well could a kid develop if you provided him with the perfect environment?

—Marv Marinovich

Marinovich was born Marvin Scott but his mother later changed his name to Todd Marvin. He grew up on the Balboa Peninsula of Newport Beach, California. His father, Marv Marinovich, had been a lineman and a captain for the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans during the 1962 national championship season, and player in the 1963 Rose Bowl. Marinovich's mother, Trudi (née Fertig), was a high school swimmer who dropped out of USC to marry Marv. Her brother Craig was a star USC quarterback at this time.

After harming his own NFL lineman career by overtraining and focusing too much on weight and bulk, Marv studied Eastern Bloc training methods and was hired by Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis as one of the NFL's first strength-and-conditioning coaches. Marv later opened his own athletic research center and applied the techniques to his young son, introducing athletic training before Marinovich could leave the crib and continuing it throughout his childhood and adolescence. Marv saw an opportunity to use techniques, focusing on speed and flexibility, that later formed the basis for modern core training. During her pregnancy, Trudi used no salt, sugar, alcohol, or tobacco; as a baby, Marinovich was fed only fresh vegetables, fruits, and raw milk.

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