Reply #16: Roo! [View All]

[ProfessorGAC]

When i was in college i played a lot of playground ball in the summer.

I was a decent player, but i never worked hard on skills. I got back on two things: Quick as a cat and could jump over a bus. (I'm only 5'9", but could go vertical about 42" from a standing position!)

So, early that first summer, i was playing with some guys and i got an alley oop pass that the guy thought would be a catch and lay up. I dunked it. He said, "Man, that's some jumping. You ain't a brother, so you must be part kangaroo!" The nickname got shortened from kangaroo to just "roo".

It didn't stick outside the playground, and that was nearly 30 years ago. So, it's not a long term nickname. Just something that i thought was cool in those days.
The Professor