Cameron Wake has become a well known name among NFL fans because of his great play with the Miami Dolphins, but many other people know him by a different name.
Cameron Wake’s full name is Derek Cameron Wake. For most of his life, he was known as Derek.
SI’s Ben Reiter wrote a good feature on Wake for the Oct. 13 edition of Sports Illustrated, titled “Wide Awake,” where he shared the story of how Wake ended up going by Cameron.
Because of his size, Wake was viewed as a tweener after his college career at Penn State; he was considered too big for linebacker and too small for defensive end. He was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005 but cut in less than three months. Wake began working for a mortgage company while still keeping his football dreams alive by working out before and after work. He was known at that time as Derek.
Before settling on a 9-to-5 job, Wake decided to go hard at football one last time and took a job as a trainer at Bally Total Fitness, which would allow him more time to work out and train. According to Reiter’s story, that’s when he started being called Cameron.
From Reiter’s story:
When Wake arrived in Canada, he did so with a name that Penn State fans wouldn’t have recognized. Coworkers at Bally’s had begun calling him Cameron due to a clerical mix-up, and he let it slide. “It sounds corny,” he says, “but it represented a new chapter, a fresh start.”
His life really did start over anew after that change.
Wake ended up signing with the BC Lions in the CFL and led the league with 38 sacks over two seasons. After working out for eight NFL teams, he signed with the Dolphins in 2009 and made his NFL debut in the fall. Since then, he has gone on to become one of the best defensive ends in the NFL.
And we would all know him as Derek Wake if not for a clerical error at Bally Total Fitness.
Photo: Twitter/Cameron Wake
