Mark Asper: Oregon Duck, Hero, Eagle Scout, Husband, Father, and...

Mormon.

Of course.

When I read the story this morning on Yahoo News about how an Oregon offensive lineman had saved a choking man's life, and credited his Scout masters and Eagle Scout training, I started to wonder.

When the story then mentioned he was the oldest guy on the team, and that he was married with two kids (both daughters, how cute!), alarms started going off in my head.

So I figured I'd check his Oregon player profile to see if I could get any more info. [Stalker-ish of me?]

When his profile included these tidbits, I determined he's likely a member of the LDS Church:

• Attended Bonneville High in Idaho Falls, ID. Not a slam dunk, but there are lots of Mo's in ID.
• Majoring in Spanish. That could mean a lot of things, until you factor in the next point.
• Redshirted the 2007 season "after being away from the game for a two-year religious mission commitment."

Bingo.

Lots of churches do mission trips, which is excellent and I wish more people had/took the opportunity to serve those in need around the world, including in the U.S., but the two-year part is usually a pretty straight-forward LDS giveaway.

So while I don't really have a horse in the Rose Bowl, I'll be cheering for Oregon's #79.

Not just because he's Mormon (as there are probably some LDS guys on the Wisconsin side, too), but because he's a great guy and a life-saving hero.