Mom & Daughter Share the Sidelines on Game Day

Stepping onto the sidelines to cheer on the Texas Longhorns is an incredible opportunity, but as a mother and daughter duo, it’s the experience of a lifetime.

At last Saturday’s Texas vs. UTEP game, the UT spirit squads hosted an alumni event that invited past cheerleaders to relive their moments in the game-day spotlight. Amy Porter, who cheered for the Longhorns from 1990-1993, couldn’t resist the opportunity to take the sidelines with her daughter, second-year cheerleader Morgan Baker.

To top it all off, Morgan had no idea her mom would be on the sidelines with her and wearing the matching fringe!

“The 2016 cheer reunion weekend kicked off with a reception Friday night (the night before the game) at the stadium — this event included current and former cheerleaders. It was great to come off the elevator and see Morgan and her squad serving as the welcome crew to greet all the alumni,” Amy said. “I had signed up to cheer during the alumni portion of the UTEP game, but everyone was instructed to keep it a secret. Throughout the night, I told Morgan, ‘I would never do that’ and ‘Are you kidding? No way!’ The opportunity to surprise her and be on the field at the same time was just too good to pass up!”

When it was time to take the field on Saturday, Amy was in full-on fringe, ready to cheer on her team once again; but this time, alongside her daughter.

“The day of the game, I didn’t talk to Morgan, and just told her we were all headed to a tailgate. Instead, several of my old squad members met for an alumni practice three hours before the game,” Amy said. “Once we dusted off the cobwebs and ran through our retro version of the fight song, we were ready! We headed down to the field early, and snuck over to where the current squad was warming up.

“When Morgan first noticed me, she was completely speechless, and covered her face in shock. It was such a once-in-a-lifetime moment and memory for us.” 

A mother and daughter cheering on the sidelines together is a rare occurrence. At a young age, Morgan was already showing an interest in cheer, but her mom never would have guessed she’d be putting on the same uniform she herself wore years ago.

“Morgan was interested in cheer early on during elementary school, which was always fun for me, but I never dreamed she would ultimately cheer at Texas. However, during high school, she began to seriously consider cheering in college, and her heart was 100-percent set on going to Texas,” Amy said. “One of my favorite moments was seeing her on the field for the first time. It was pretty emotional, because I knew how hard she had worked to get to that point. I could not have been more proud.”

If you’re ever in Austin during a UT game, do your best to make your way into the stands to watch Morgan in action. You might just see her mom Amy cheering loudly and proudly among the fans.

Hook ’em horns!