Here’s why Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is nicknamed ‘Pop’

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Isiah Pacheco — overwhelmingly — is referred to by KC teammates by his nickname of “Pop.”

But where did that moniker come from? Pacheco gave the answer during a news conference Thursday, saying it originated from a sound he produced in a youth football league.

“I was on defense growing up. I hit a quarterback and knocked him out. I don’t want to say it all crazy, but yeah. Then the ambulance came,” Pacheco said. “I heard my big brother in the stands, and rest in peace, my other brother, he was like, ‘Pop, yeah! Pop, yeah, Pop!’”

Pacheco’s older brother, Travoise Cannon, died in 2016 at age 29.

“So that always just sticks with me,” Pacheco said, “and has that little sense of reminder of my brothers there with me.”

While playing quarterback and defensive back as a senior in high school, Pacheco was named First Team All-USA New Jersey by USA Today on defense in a season he posted 28 tackles with two interceptions. Pacheco focused on running back when he went to college at Rutgers, rushing for 2,442 yards and 18 touchdowns in his four years.

It was the draw of getting in the end zone, Pacheco said, that made him want to stay permanently on the offensive side of the ball.

“When I was in high school, I just loved scoring touchdowns,” Pacheco said. “For me, it was wherever I was able to play to help the team, I was with it. Scoring touchdowns, I was able to do it from both sides of the field, so I was pleased with the game.”

Pacheco has emerged as one of the Chiefs’ top offensive weapons after getting drafted by the team in the seventh round. He’s led KC in rushing each of the last four games, while his 521 rushing yards and 4.7-yard-per-carry average are tops among Chiefs running backs.

On Thursday, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy described Pacheco as a “physical football player.”

“I think he’s done a good job of progressing each and every week. Every week he does something a little bit different,” Bieniemy said. “Obviously, what’s showing up on tape is that he’s running extremely hard. He’s doing a heck of a job moving the chains. We just got to continue to build and grow with him.”