Anyone listening to Abba’s song “Fernando” may associate it with the second episode of Season 5 of “Stranger Things,” when Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) is preparing for a quiet bath before a Demogorgon attacks the Wheeler house.
Unless they’re an Indiana University football fan or anyone in Bloomington who’s recently heard the song playing along East Kirkwood Avenue or at a recent home game for the men’s or women’s basketball teams. During the Jan. 11 women’s game, fans in the stands were singing along while photographs of Fernando Mendoza were shown on the screens above.
And as is “Mamma Mia!” Mendoza may be an unusual man, another Fernando.
Even before Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy, he was receiving accolades and awards, including the Big Ten MVP as well as MVP for the Big Ten Championship game and the Peach Bowl.
As reported in The Herald-Times by Michael Niziolek, Mendoza is having a string of gridiron wins this season, including breaking IU’s single-season touchdown record. This week Niziolek reported that the “No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza has a combined quarterback rating of 245.5 in the two wins and has thrown more touchdowns (eight) than incompletions (five).”
With the Hoosier quarterback heading to Miami with his team, trying to win the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes, the number of firsts for Mendoza are sure to increase.
And, on Monday, Jan. 19, if there’s something in the air that night and the stars are bright, there may even be a first CFP National Championship win for the Hoosiers.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: ‘Fernando’ song craze captivates Hoosier fans ahead of title game
Reporting by Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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