Fitting tribute for Jersey City hoops legend Rooney

It might have been a few years in the making because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Friday night was well worth the wait. That's because Jersey City basketball legend Mike Rooney got his just rewards, when the gymnasiumn at Snyder High School was renamed in his honor. The 78-year-old Rooney was honored with a celebration at halftime of the Snyder-McNair Academic game, with a host of Rooney's basketball brethren on hand. Rooney's uniform number 32 was retired and a beautiful banner was placed on the walls of the gym with his 1,626 point total and his three-time All-Hudson County and twice All-State on the banner as well.

A lot of people might recognize Rooney for being the long-time athletic director at County Prep or for organizing his Jersey City Recreation basketball league that was played at Dickinson High School for more than 40 years. But before all of that, Rooney was a basketball legend -- and that's an understatement. At Snyder from 1961 through 1963, he was recognized as a Parade All-American who played in his fair share of All-Star games up and down the East Coast. In college, Rooney first attended St. Bonaventure University, where he quickly became a complete legend for his actions on and off the court, then after he was asked to leave the Bonnies, he ended up at the University of Oklahoma where he earned his degree. Yes, he has a college degree, but that was mostly earned in basketball, where he averaged close to 30 points per game during his time in Norman. From there, Rooney was a late-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers and played professional basketball in the old Eastern League, which was just a little more competitive than today's NBA G-League, considering that the NBA had only 12 teams back then as opposed to the 32 teams the NBA currently houses. Needless to say, it was much tougher to make it in pro basketball in the early 1960s. Rooney also played in a slew of semi-pro leagues in the area, showing off his incredible shooting range. People today marvel at the range of Steph Curry, nailing shots from 30 feet on a regular basis. Well, that was Rooney's game. Onlookers were astonished with the way Rooney drained long-range jumpers from 35, even 40 feet, with regularity. It was amazing to some. To Rooney, it was commonplace. When one throws the word around "legend," chances are that it doesn't really fit the person, but in the case of Mike Rooney, he wears the tag of legend the way most men wear a necktie. In Rooney's case, legend doesn't even begin to describe what he was as a player. The best way I personally can attest to his legendary status stems from a day more than 30 years ago. I was the sports information director at St. Peter's College and we were playing St. Bonaventure in a game early in the 1989-90 season. The radio announcers for St. Bonaventure asked me if I would be the halftime guest that game. I gladly agreed to do the interview, figuring that the announcers would ask me about the Peacocks. The entire 10 minute span was spent talking about one topic: Mike Rooney. That's the best way to describe a legend. We didn't once talk about St. Peter's College basketball, which was my job, promoting the Peacocks and the program. Nope. The whole thing was about Rooney -- and he was removed from Olean, N.Y. for about 30 years at that point. Rooney had the distinction of being one of the first players in NCAA history to score more than 1,000 points for two schools -- St. Bonaventure and Oklahoma. After his playing days were over (and he played competitively well into his 40s), Rooney concentrated on being the first-ever athletic director at County Prep in Jersey City and running his popular men's basketball league at Dickinson High School. Thousands of men paraded through Rooney's popular league, finding a way to remain competitive, led by the man who is truly a basketball legend in the city that he never left. He's a legend in places like upstate New York and Norman, Oklahoma as well. Rooney was extremely humbled by the honor that was bestowed upon him. "To think the gym is being named after me? That's just incredible," Rooney said. "I'll always be a Snyder guy. I can think of about 20 others who deserve this more than me. I don't deserve this. I love to be the one who is joking, but this is serious. It's a great honor and I can't thank the people behind it who made it possible. It shows that the people in this building did their job, the teachers, the principals, they prepared me for life. It shows me that they were successful in doing their jobs. But I don't deserve this." Bob Martin, who was Rooney's teammate and an All-County player like Rooney, was happy to be on hand for the celebration.

From left, Ed Petersen, Bob Hurley, Mike Rooney and Bob Martin get together to celebrate the gym at Snyder being named after Rooney and his jersey number being retired. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world," Martin said. "It was an honor and pleasure to have played with this guy. Never once did it cross our minds that he was a ball hog or someone who shot too much. No, we made sure we got him the ball, because we knew it was going in. He hardly missed from wherever he shot on the court. Just to be on the court with him was a tremendous honor. I'm glad that they did this for Mike. He deserves it." Ed Petersen, the retired FBI agent who also served in security for Major League Baseball and the NFL, played with and against Rooney in his various leagues. "It means the world to me to be here," Petersen said. "I wouldn't have missed this for anything. Mike was so enjoyable to play with over the years. When he got hot, he couldn't miss no matter where he was on the court. He was tremendous to watch and even better to play with. He's been a good friend for all these years. I'm glad that they did this to honor Mike. He's a great man." Now, the students of Snyder will recognize the immense talents that Rooney possessed every time they walk into the gym and see the giant banner with his name on it. It was a great honor for a great man, one that will last in perpetuity. One of Jersey City's best hoopsters has his name attached to the gym and students will get to know a little more about someone who is a true legend, a man deserving of the title and deserving of the honor bestowed upon him Friday night. Congrats to Mike Rooney, one of Jersey City's best hoopsters of all-time.