Story byBilly HeyenTue, January 13, 2026 at 11:47 PM UTC·1 min readBloomington names a pond after Indiana Hoosiers football star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. D'Angelo Ponds wrote his name into Indiana Hoosiers history on the first play from scrimmage of the College Football Playoff semifinal. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat's when he jumped a pass from Oregon QB Dante Moore and returned it for a touchdown, a pick-6 before everyone had even settled in. Now, Ponds' name will be recognized elsewhere, too. The City of Bloomington has announced it is naming a pond after Ponds. Seriously. This is what the announcement said:"In a city known for a healthy appreciation of whimsy, the City of Bloomington has once again risen to the moment. After a standout Peach Bowl performance by Indiana University football and a social media conversation that refused to be ignored, a grassroots called emerged to rename the retention pond at Miller-Showers Park, D'Angelo's Pond. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"For the remainder of this week, the City of Bloomington will recognize the pond with this honorary, unofficial name as the community rallies behind the Hoosiers."Apparently, D'Angelo will need to start the national championship game against Miami with a pick-6 to make the name permanent (this is a joke, but that'd probably do the trick). Ponds is from Hollywood, Florida and began his college career at James Madison before following Curt Cignetti to IU. He had everyone making jokes during the semifinal about Ducks loving ponds until Oregon had to go against Ponds. And now he's got a pond named in his honor. MORE: Would Curt Cignetti leave Indiana for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
