OT: College & Professional Athletes Nicknames

[boontonbomber]

The "BIG Dipper" was in fact one of Wilt Chamberlain's monikers. Laker radio announcer Chick Hern use to refer to him as "The Dipper" all the time during his calls of Wilt's Laker games. I was standing at the entrance to the Laker locker room during a game at the Forum in 1972. As the Lakers went back to the locker room, Wilt passed by me at a distance of no more than 5-6 feet. The man was H-U-G-E!!! He was tall and wide. Looking at him on TV or from the stands, you couldn't really get a true perspective of how BIG he was.

I ran into the Lakers Michael Cooper as he was coming out of a McDonalds one morning in Inglewood California. Cooper is 6'6". As I walked by him (he was coming out as I was going in), he looked every bit of 6-6. When you see him on TV next to other taller players on the floor, he didn't look that tall.

I used to think that Wilt was a tall guy, but then I happened by Manute Bol at Springfield College years ago. He was playing for Bridgeport, and all he did was hoist up threes, and curse rather loudly. He walked right by me after halftime. Whole new take on tall..

 

[Carnac]

This thread has run its course and is now on life support. We had some fun with it. I learned some things about some athletes I didn’t know before. A tip of the turban to everyone that participated.