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Petition to have Marcus Mariota's jersey number retired surfaces online.

There's little doubt that Mariota was the greatest player in school history. Now, a petition has been formed to have his No. 8 jersey retired.

By Sean Larson
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Retired jersey numbers aren't as common in college football as they are in other sports, but one petition wants to make sure Marcus Mariota's legacy lives on forever at the University of Oregon. The petition at iPetitions.com, has 886 signatures as of Monday night, over 100 more since this tweet from the Emerald's Joseph Hoyt an hour ago.

If the petition gained any ground and the athletic department actually did retire Mariota's No. 8 jersey, it would be the first time the school has ever done so. The closest time they've ever come to retiring a number is when no Duck wore No. 29 after the tragic death of Todd Doxey during the time he would've been in school, except for the season following his death when one player per game wore the number as a tribute. And if they didn't do it for Joey Harrington, I doubt they'll do it for Mariota. Sure, Harrington never won a Heisman, but you could certainly make the case that no player should've worn No. 3 again at Oregon after his departure. I mean, this is the dude that created the tradition of holding up the "O."

Mariota chose to pass up his final year of eligibility at Oregon to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft, a decision Mariota said he made exclusively with his family. Among fans, there has already been talk of how the school should build a statue of Mariota outside of Autzen Stadium. I wouldn't be surprised if we see that in the next decade, but I doubt he will have his number retired. However, that doesn't mean fans won't try to at least have the idea gain a little steam.

If you're in support of Oregon retiring Mariota's number, you can do so here.

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