Virginia Tech's Victor Macho Harris meets the press. Harris is a standout cornerback on the vaunted Hokies' defense.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ? Victor “Macho” Harris isn’t as big as a yacht. He doesn’t have biceps the size of your head, and he’s not a particularly scary guy on the surface.

So why is Virginia Tech’s All-ACC cornerback, who will line up against Kansas University’s deep receiving fleet Thursday in the Orange Bowl, nicknamed Macho?

Well, it goes way back. Harris was a tyke in in the mid 1980s when his father, also named Victor, was losing his mind over the daily chaos his son caused.

“He said I was a very bad kid, talking, doing crazy stuff,” Macho said. “So he said, ‘Shoot, I’m not going to name him a regular name. I’ve got to name him a strong name.'”

The elder Victor apparently was a fan of the Village People, who had the hit song “Macho Man” at the top of the charts several years earlier.

“I guess he put two and two together,” Macho said.

“Macho” derives from the Spanish word “machismo,” which generally means excess masculinity. For a 6-foot, 195-pound defensive back playing alongside mostly bigger boys on the football field, it’s not an easy name to live up to.

But Harris has made sure the book reflects the title. He was a Parade All-American at Highland Springs (Va.) High who was recruited by almost every big college in America both as a running back and a cornerback.

He chose to stay close to home and signed with Virginia Tech. He has started 26 consecutive games for VT’s vaunted defense.

Nobody calls him Victor anymore.

“I love it. It’s a unique name,” Harris said. “I’m playing an aggressive sport, I’ve got an aggressive name. Hopefully in people’s eyes, I’m aggressive.”

He’s nothing if not aggressive. Harris is second in the ACC with 16 passes defended (five interceptions, 11 breakups) and has added 34 tackles.

In addition, Harris has had success helping out with the Hokies’ extraordinary special-teams play. He has returned six kickoffs this season, one for a 100-yard touchdown at Clemson on Oct. 6.

Harris since has moved down the depth chart as a return specialist. But he teams with Brandon Flowers to form one of the best cornerback duos in America – a pair that has a tough task Thursday with the Jayhawks’ high-flying offense taking them to an 11-1 mark in 2007.

KU offensive coordinator Ed Warinner confirmed that Virginia Tech’s defense is the best the Jayhawks will face this season. That gets no argument from Harris.

“One of a kind,” he said. “I’ve been here for three years now : it’s probably one of the best defenses I’ve ever been associated with.”

Yet only one is called Macho.