The Marinovich Project – (ESPN Films)

*** 2011 Sports Emmy Nomination, Best Documentary

Marinovich. For a generation of sports fans, the name conjures an epic saga in a single word.

According to legend, he was the victim of a monstrous sports father who played god with his own son, engineering him from the crib to be the perfect athletic specimen. But pushed to the peak of athletic achievement, the son fell over the edge and into freefall. For Marinovich, the fast track to success turned into a highway to hell.

As a high school phenom, the media dubbed him “Robo QB” and the nickname stuck, searing this legend into the public consciousness forever. But while the legend and myth endure, the person had all but disappeared.

20 years ago, he walked off the NFL stage and into oblivion. We wanted to find him.