Why is Cam Newton called 'Superman'? History behind mercurial QB's nickname
Cam Newton is back for his second stint with the Carolina Panthers and is vying to be the 'Superman' that made the league fall in love with him. With the Carolina Panthers in his previous rodeo, he took the team all the way to the Super Bowl. In 2015, when Cam Newton was at the peak of his powers, he could do things that other quarterbacks could only dream of. He was in many ways the first real dual-threat quarterback where running and taking on tackles was not merely an add-on; it was a permanent feature. As Super Cam returns to the Carolina Panthers, we look at what made the 'Superman' nickname stick.
Cam Newton: The Superman among quarterbacks
While quarterbacks have always scored touchdowns of their own on the run, instead of merely throwing the ball to a receiver, Cam Newton took the concept to a whole new level. In his first three seasons as a quarterback in the NFL, he ran for 2,032 yards, the first quarterback in the league to achieve more than 2000 yards. Lamar Jackson has since surpassed that, but as he himself admitted, Cam Newton opened the doors for quarterbacks like him.
"Game recognize game. He's the OG -- Superman." Lamar Jackson on @CameronNewton
Jackson and Newton are the only QB's to win both the Heisman & the NFL MVP award https://t.co/T8EKYXXa4k
In scoring touchdowns of his own, he does a celebration that mimics Clark Kent ripping off his shirt to show the Superman embossed vest. The celebration has had people compare him to Superman and grant him the Super Cam moniker.
Lest anyone think Superman is the only superhero that Cam Newton is obsessed with, they would be wrong. He has shown himself to be a fan of fictional superheroes and once incorporated the Wakanda salute with the Superman celebration.
Cam went from Wakanda Forever to Superman on the celebration ♥️ @CameronNewton https://t.co/QJIuidTO4z
In a classic case of whether the chicken came first or the egg, Cam Newton says that the Superman celebration might be a result of people calling him Superman ever since he remembered. His exact quote was,
"It's coming off the notion of everybody sees the superhero in how I play. I've gotten the nickname Superman, Super Cam ever since I can remember."
So maybe it was his exceptional play in which defenders bounced off his powerful frame as he ran with the ball, or his elite-level quarterbacking skill that one time made him the MVP, maybe the moniker came from there and Cam Newton just stuck in the celebration to reflect the fact. Whatever be the truth, it is one the Panthers faithful will be hoping is broken out again and again.