Walter Payton ROOS

Hand-painted collectible baseball card Before Michael Jordan, Mars Blackmon, and "It's gotta be the shoes," many pro athletes were wearing ROOS. KangaROOS were designed by St. Louis jogger Bob Gamm, who didn't want keys and money in his shorts while running... so, he created a running shoe with a pocket. Walter Payton, Clyde Drexler, Vince Coleman and others all endorsed the product. The pocket turned into a big fad among school kids in the early-to-mid 80's. However, by the end of the decade, popularity declined and ROOS quietly disappeared. I've painted my sugary-powdered gum on the back of Sweetness' 1982 Topps, for this ad campaign that ran the following season. Card history note: In 1981, Topps didn't have an agreement with the NFL to use team logos on cards. So, all helmets were airbrushed in the photographs. By 1982, an agreement was in place.