History of the Roos
The Missouri Kansas City Roos have a long and storied history in the world of sports. From their inception in 1949, they've been an integral part of college athletics for over 70 years. The Roos are one of the nation's oldest collegiate teams and have experienced incredible successes.
One such success was their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1962 when they advanced to the Elite Eight before eventually falling to Cincinnati University. They would make several more appearances throughout their program, peaking with an impressive Final Four run during the 1977-78 season that saw them finish third overall nationally behind eventual champion Kentucky Wildcats and runner-up Duke Blue Devils.
Throughout its existence, UMKC has had numerous players move onto professional careers, including NBA greats Paul Pressey (Milwaukee Bucks), Anthony Peeler (Minnesota Timberwolves), and Reggie Theus (Sacramento Kings). Additionally, many former players went on to become coaches at both collegiate and professional levels, such as Rick Majerus, who coached Utah Utes from 1989–2004; Eddie Sutton, who coached Oklahoma State Cowboys from 1990–2006; John Calipari, who is currently coaching Memphis Tigers since 2009; Mike Anderson formerly head coach at Arkansas Razorbacks 2008–2011; and most recently Frank Haith now head coach at Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2011 –present.
In recent times, the UMKC basketball team has seen a resurgence under current Head Coach Kareem Richardson, leading them into WAC conference play beginning 2021-22 season after spending the past 17 seasons playing Summit League competition, where they won two regular season titles during the 2010 & 2015 campaigns, respectively along with three post-season tournament championships all coming within last five seasons. As we look ahead, it’s clear there’s much excitement surrounding this program, which looks poised for even greater things!
Roos Products
College Sports Established
1933
Location
Kansas City, Missouri
College Name
University of Missouri–Kansas City
Collegiate History
1994 - Present / NCAA Division I
Conference History
1994 - 2012, 2020 - Present / Summit League
2012 - 2020 / Western Athletic Conference
Nickname
Roos - The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) adopted its mascot and nickname, “Roos,” in 1982 as a tribute to its Kangaroo heritage. The school was founded in 1933 as the University of Kansas City and, at that time, featured a kangaroo on their logo. In 1963, when it merged with another university to become UMKC, it kept its beloved kangaroo mascot but changed its name from "Kangs" to "Roos."
While there is no single explanation for why this change occurred—some say it was because “kangs” sounded too much like Kansas or that roo rhymes with Moo—the most popular theory is that since many people associated Australia's national animal with being tough and resilient qualities which are often found among successful athletes – these were values which fit perfectly into what UMKC wanted for their athletic teams. Additionally, by changing from KangaROOs to ROOs, they could avoid confusion between them and other schools with similar mascots, such as Rutgers Scarlet Knights or Marshall Thundering Herd.
Since then, Roos has been an integral part of life at UMBC - appearing on uniforms across all sporting events including basketball games, where he can be seen leading cheers during halftime shows! He also regularly appears around campus during special events like Homecoming Week or Convocation Day celebrations - always bringing smiles wherever he goes! So next time you see him, make sure you give him an extra cheer so everyone knows how proud we are, our beloved Roo mascot here at UMKC!
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
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