Roosma, John Seiba (03 September 1900–13 November 1983), athlete and army officer, was born in Passaic, New Jersey, the son of Simon Roosma, a building contractor, and Mamie Casteline. In his youth, Roosma was a standout basketball player on the Passaic High School “Wonder Teams” that won 159 straight games from 1919 to 1925. Roosma’s teams initiated the streak, and his ability to score was largely responsible for their success. Roosma played from 1919 to 1921, when his teams compiled the first fifty-seven victories of the streak. Roosma’s 1918–1919 squad had won twenty games in a row before bowing to Union Hill High School in the state championship game. But then his teams rebounded to win New Jersey state high school basketball championships in 1920 and 1921. He averaged twenty-eight points per game during his senior season and was named to the all-state team for three years in a row. ...
