Kansas City Roos


The Kansas City Roos, known before July 1, 2019 as the UMKC Kangaroos and also sometimes called the Kansas City Kangaroos, are the intercollegiate teams representing the University of Missouri–Kansas City that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The Roo's formerly competed in the Western Athletic Conference but, as of July 1, 2020 the Kansas City Roos became members of the Summit League in all 14 varsity sports.

Nickname

The name was chosen in the 1930s for the school's debate team, following the acquisition of two baby kangaroos by the Kansas City Zoo.

Sports sponsored

As a member of the Summit League the University of Missouri–Kansas City sponsors seven men's and nine women's teams in NCAA sanctioned sports.

Name note

The school has long branded itself for athletic purposes as "UMKC", but in June 2019, shortly before it announced its return to the Summit League, it unveiled a new logo and branding strategy emphasizing "Kansas City", and officially unveiled its full rebranding as the Kansas City Roos on July 1 of that year.
While its current conference, the WAC, has used "UMKC", its previous conference, The Summit League, persisted in using "Kansas City". As part of the 2019 rebranding, the program is now known as Kansas City Athletics. Teams will be known as the Kansas City Roos, with "Roos" having long been used as a short form for the historic nickname of Kangaroos.
The national media had been inconsistent in usage prior to the 2019 rebranding.