You think you have an embarrassing nickname?
The Washington Redskins have just signed running back Quinn Porter to their practice squad. Porter, an undrafted rookie, was fondly known as "Pompoms" in college.
Yes, Porter was a collegiate cheerleader — or as he prefers "stuntman" — at Stillman College in Alabama. To be fair, Porter also lined up for the Stillman football team, playing wide receiver and running back for the Tigers.
Porter cheered just one year before becoming academically eligible to play football at Stillman, where he rushed for 2,788 yards and 24 touchdowns and added 68 receptions for 887 yards and 12 more touchdowns. Stillman cheerleading coach Patricia Wilson said she was devastated when he left the squad for the gridiron.
"I hated to lose him," Wilson said in an interview with The New York Times. "He said, 'I'm going to be a star, watch and see.' He was so confident. But he did, and we were so proud of him because he was one of our first. We would always say: that's our cheerleader."
While the undrafted rookie is still bouncing between practice squads, he's hoping to have found a home with the Redskins. But it's hard to believe he'll ever live down that infamous nickname.
