He and Abernathy representing the ATL tonight.
WEST HARRISON, Ind. – Silverberry Mouhon got into some childhood scuffles while defending his unusual name. The schoolyard taunters would want no part of the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Mouhon now.
Mouhon, a junior defensive end for the University of Cincinnati football team, led the Bearcats with 9 1/2 sacks last year. He is a candidate not only for the All-Name team but also the Rotary Lombardi Award (best down lineman in America) and Ted Hendricks Award (best defensive end), for which he made preseason watch lists.
But first, that name. Mouhon's father, Paul Mouhon, was a fan of author A.R. Silverberry and liked the catchy name. Silverberry the author has won awards for juvenile/young adult fiction writing.
Hence, Silverberry Mouhon.
And while he has answered the Silverberry question countless times, the 21-year-old Mouhon does so with pride and a smile.
I heard about it when I was younger," Mouhon said, after a recent practice here at the Bearcats' Higher Ground camp site. "I got in a couple of fights over my name, but as I got older my name just kind of set me apart from other people. It's actually great having a name that's unusual."
Mouhon, from Norcross, Ga., set himself apart last year with a breakout season. As a sophomore, he became the Bearcats' top pass rusher and caused his share of havoc against the run game.
"He's got a great get-off," UC co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Robert Prunty said. "His first step, he's explosive. Not only is he athletic, but he has that dog mentality where he just chases the ball. He's full speed all the time."