National Football Foundation

An All-America quarterback and valedictorian of his class, Todd Mortensen added honors as the Outstanding Student of Jazz (Piano) in the state of Arizona, ranking him among the most eclectic scholar-athletes ever honored by the National Football Foundation. One of the most recruited quarterbacks ever out of Tempe High School, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Mortensen earned All-America accolades from Prep Football Report, National High School Coaches Association and Prep Star Magazine. He was a unanimous Arizona All-State selection, finishing his career as the holder of virtually every school passing record. He led his team to a perfect 14-0 record and the Arizona 4A State Championship as a senior.

Mortensen’s excellence extended to the classroom as well, ranking first in his class with a 4.62 GPA. He was named Tempe High School’s Outstanding Musician and the Northern Arizona University Jazz Festival Outstanding Soloist. He received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award and the Mill Avenue Merchants Association Scholarship for jazz piano.

Mortensen served as a backup quarterback at BYU for three seasons (2001-03), completing 27 of 77 passes with a touchdown and earning Academic All-MWC honors in 2003. He transferred to the University of San Diego for his senior season, where he threw for 2,874 yards and 25 touchdowns. He set single-game records for both attempts (57 vs. Penn) and completions (37 vs. Dayton), while also setting single-season records for both attempts (389) and completions (234). He led the Pioneer Football League (PFL) in passing yards, completions, completion percentage, touchdown passes, passing efficiency (140.3) and total offense (2,849).

A four-time PFL Player of the Week, he directed the USD offense that led the PFL in scoring offense (36.1 PPG), passing offense (3,029 yards), total offense (4,756 yards), passing efficiency (137.9) and red zone offense (84.8%). Mortensen garnered First Team All-PFL honors, and he was named the Co-Offensive Player of the Year. He was also named to The Sports Network’s 2004 Division I-AA Mid-Major All-America team and the PFL All-Academic team. Mortensen played in the Las Vegas All-American Classic.

Mortensen signed as a free-agent with the Detroit Lions in 2005, but he was cut in camp. He signed with the New England Patriots the following year, and he was assigned to the Hamburg Sea Devils in NFL Europe. He also briefly appeared in the CFL and AFL.

Mortensen received both his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.B.A. from the Wharton School in 2012. He subsequently joined the prestigious law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City.