Who Are Fernando Mendoza’s Parents? A Guide to the Indiana QB’s Family
Fernando Mendoza is already a Heisman Trophy winner, and now, he’s hoping to lead the Indiana Hoosiers to a win against the University of Miami in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 19.
The team’s quarterback has had the support of his family, including his parents, Fernando Mendoza Sr. and Elsa Mendoza, throughout his football career, and they’ll be cheering him on as he plays in the biggest game of his life. Scroll down to learn more about Fernando’s loved ones.
What does Fernando Mendoza’s dad do for a living?
Fernando Sr. is the medical director in the pediatric emergency department at Nicklaus Children’s Health System in Miami, Florida. He’s held the position since February 2021, per LinkedIn. He is also the chief of pediatrics at Baptist Health South Florida.
The proud father attended Brown University and was a member of the crew team. He then attended med school at the University of Florida College of Medicine, completed his residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital, and had a fellowship at Boston Medical Center.
Fernando Sr. and Elsa moved from Florida to Boston for his fellowship, and that’s where Fernando Jr. grew up before the family eventually moved back to Miami.
Why is Fernando Mendoza’s mom in a wheelchair?
Fernando’s mom is in a wheelchair because she has multiple sclerosis (MS), “a disease that causes breakdown of the protective covering of nerves,” according to Mayo Clinic. Symptoms can include numbness, weakness, trouble walking, and vision changes.
Elsa wrote an open letter to her eldest son for The Player’s Tribune in December 2025 and revealed that she was diagnosed “about 18 years ago,” which would be when her children were still very young.
“You and Alberto were so young, and I was doing fine… and mostly I didn’t want you to worry,” she wrote, explaining why she kept the boys in the dark about her diagnosis at first. “It just felt like this impossible thing to place on you guys. On my sweet boys. And then I kept doing fine until about 10 years ago, when we went skiing, and I broke my ankle and knee.”
Elsa said that after that accident, she told her sons that her leg simply hadn’t healed all the way, which is why she had a limp. It wasn’t until she got COVID-19 in 2020 and realized she wasn’t going to be able to travel during football season that she knew she had to come clean.
“No amount of years could have prepared me for how hard of a conversation it ended up being,” she shared. “Your mom has this degenerative disease … and while we don’t know how it will progress, it’s going to start to affect us in a few ways. But it won’t affect us in the ways that matter. We’ll have each other, and love each other, and be there for each other. I promise.”
Fernando has actively fundraised for MS after learning of his mom’s diagnosis. “No matter what kind of state I’ve been in, or day I’ve been having — you’ve never once looked away,” Elsa said. “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.”
Does Fernando Mendoza have siblings?
Yes, Fernando has two siblings, brothers Alberto and Max. Elsa got pregnant with Fernando when she was 25 years old, and Alberto followed two years later. It was six more years until Elsa and Fernando Sr. completed their family with Max.
Alberto is Fernando’s backup quarterback at Indiana. He redshirted in his first season (2024) and became Fernando’s backup when his big brother joined the team in 2025. Fernando previously played for the University of California, Berkeley.
In her Player’s Tribune letter, Elsa recalled how Alberto helped spark Fernando’s decision to play at Indiana. “I know how much you cherished your time there…… you’re a true ‘Golden Bear,’ with the amazing degree to prove it!!” she wrote. “But I also know, at a certain point, that you had another goal in mind: to make the NFL. And in talking to Alberto about his development at IU, you became convinced that playing for Coach Cignetti and his staff was the right path forward.”
Meanwhile, Max revealed in December 2025 that he “has aspirations of becoming a sports broadcaster one day.”
College Football Playoff National Championship, Monday, January 19, 7:30/6:30c, ESPN
