Helmets off: Linebacker Dan Porter of the Nepean Eagles
By: Elizabeth Karchut
In his five year football career, Dan Porter has never won a championship, but the young Linebacker is on a mission to change that.
Among Porter’s laundry list of goals for this season, one of them is helping the Nepean Eagles midget team win back-to-back championships.
“This season, pretty much getting seen by universities, getting noticed, putting my best foot forward and winning the championship,” Porter said. “I am trying to finally get that ring.”
By: Elizabeth Karchut
In his five year football career, Dan Porter has never won a championship, but the young Linebacker is on a mission to change that.
Among Porter’s laundry list of goals for this season, one of them is helping the Nepean Eagles midget team win back-to-back championships.
“This season, pretty much getting seen by universities, getting noticed, putting my best foot forward and winning the championship,” Porter said. “I am trying to finally get that ring.”
Porter began playing football with the Nepean Redskins (the former name of the Nepean Eagles) in the National Capital Amateur Football Association. He was encouraged into the sport by his father, Doug Porter, who was a former Carleton Raven football player, and his mother.
“My mom always used to just throw the ball with me in the backyard for hours and hours at a time,” Porter said of how his interest in football grew.
Porter started out as a nose tackle on the defensive line. But, as he puts it, once that didn’t work and the coaches found out he could tackle, he became a linebacker and has been one ever since.
Porter credits his former peewee and bantam coach, Coach Dwayne Knight, as a source of inspiration and teaching. He said, “He taught me all of the basics and a lot of the mental side of (football), all of the teamwork and respect aspects, all of the other sides than just the physical.”
Learning about the mental side of the game has seemed to stick with Porter, who wants to go to university for the social sciences and eventually enter policing. Beyond the CIS level, he dreams of making it to the CFL.
“But right now I am trying to focus on making and getting into a university with my marks, getting an education, getting a degree, and also playing football at the same time,” Porter said.
When the young linebacker looks back at his career so far, one memory seems to jump out at him. No, it wasn’t his time with the Myers Riders Junior Varsity team last summer or his fall season with the Nepean Eagles. It’s much simpler than that.
“My mom always used to just throw the ball with me in the backyard for hours and hours at a time,” Porter said of how his interest in football grew.
Porter started out as a nose tackle on the defensive line. But, as he puts it, once that didn’t work and the coaches found out he could tackle, he became a linebacker and has been one ever since.
Porter credits his former peewee and bantam coach, Coach Dwayne Knight, as a source of inspiration and teaching. He said, “He taught me all of the basics and a lot of the mental side of (football), all of the teamwork and respect aspects, all of the other sides than just the physical.”
Learning about the mental side of the game has seemed to stick with Porter, who wants to go to university for the social sciences and eventually enter policing. Beyond the CIS level, he dreams of making it to the CFL.
“But right now I am trying to focus on making and getting into a university with my marks, getting an education, getting a degree, and also playing football at the same time,” Porter said.
When the young linebacker looks back at his career so far, one memory seems to jump out at him. No, it wasn’t his time with the Myers Riders Junior Varsity team last summer or his fall season with the Nepean Eagles. It’s much simpler than that.
“My (favourite) football memory, probably my very first year, when I was picking a jersey,” Porter laughed. “I wanted number 18 for some reason, it was just my favourite number, and I was defence.
“My dad just came over and started laughing that I wanted to pick 18. He was like, ‘Oh no no no, that’s not a defence number.’ All that was left was number 40. So I picked number 40 and that has been my number ever since, for five years.”
It’s the little things that stick with you. But if Porter can help his team win the championship this year, there is little doubt that that moment will probably become his new favourite memory.
Dan Porter is part of the House Edge Sports Network, which is a network that aids in promoting and marketing amateur athletes in North America.
“My dad just came over and started laughing that I wanted to pick 18. He was like, ‘Oh no no no, that’s not a defence number.’ All that was left was number 40. So I picked number 40 and that has been my number ever since, for five years.”
It’s the little things that stick with you. But if Porter can help his team win the championship this year, there is little doubt that that moment will probably become his new favourite memory.
Dan Porter is part of the House Edge Sports Network, which is a network that aids in promoting and marketing amateur athletes in North America.