The year was about 1987. I don't remember the airport.
I think the aircraft was a 737-200; it had the old cigar-shaped engines with the thrust reversers like this
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...t_reverser.jpg
For whatever reason, they must not have had a tug. We backed out of our gate on reverse thrust.
Noisy and cool.
How common was this practice...I only experienced it once although I've never been a road warrior type.