why is glenn mcgrath called pigeon

Glenn McGrath is called “Pigeon” because his teammates thought his legs were extremely thin and skinny, like a pigeon’s legs.

Origin of the nickname

• The nickname started early in his New South Wales days, when teammate Brad McNamara joked that McGrath had “stolen a pigeon’s legs” because they were so thin.

• McGrath later explained in an interview that this offhand joke stuck, and from then on the dressing room and fans called him “Pigeon.”

How it fits his cricket story

• Despite the skinny-leg joke, McGrath turned Pigeon into a badge of honor while becoming one of the greatest fast bowlers, with over 560 Test wickets.

• Articles and profiles still refer to him as “the Pigeon who soared like an eagle,” underlining how the light-hearted nickname contrasts with his ruthless accuracy on the field.

Forum and “trending topic” angle

• In cricket forums and fan discussions, “why is Glenn McGrath called Pigeon” often comes up when people share trivia about classic players and their nicknames.

• Short explainers and recent features (including 2024–2025 pieces) continue to repeat the same story: skinny legs → pigeon comparison → nickname that never went away.

In other words, the answer people give today is the same as old dressing- room folklore: he bowled like a metronome, but looked like he was running in on pigeon legs.

TL;DR: Glenn McGrath is called “Pigeon” because a New South Wales teammate joked that his very skinny legs looked like a pigeon’s, and the nickname stuck for his whole career.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.