This post is dedicated to the above photo. This blogger has had many memories in this arena from basketball (Warriors) to hockey (Seals) to Roller Derby.
Back on August 12, 1967, I saw my first indoor Roller Derby game in this building. Known back in 1967 as the Oakland Coliseum Arena, it wasn’t just an ordinary game. In fact, it was two games. The first game was the Midwest Pioneers against the New York Chiefs. The nightcap would be the Bay Bombers against the Northwest Cardinals.
To top the two games was a match race involving each of the four coaches. Ken Monte (Cardinals), Charlie O’Connell (Bombers), Buddy Atkinson Jr. (Chiefs) and Bob Woodberry of the Pioneers would be the four going at it.
What got me to want to go to this was the previous Sunday’s game televised in the Bay Area by KTVU Channel 2. The game was from Kezar Pavillion and was joined in progress.
During halftime, the late and great voice of Roller Derby, Walt Harris was interviewing Cardinals' coach, Ken Monte. The two were talking about the upcoming match race on this Saturday night. Eventually, Buddy Atkinson Jr. and Buddy Atkinson Sr. joined in on the conversation. Apparently, the three were supposedly planning to keep from having Charlie O’Connell win the match race.
It’s
been about 50 years but the match race took place, I believe, between
the two games. The rules were six laps and blocking allowed.
Everything remained on the infield from what this fan remembers.
As it turned out, the combination of Monte and Atkinson Jr. worked in tandem on O’Connell. Woodberry, seeing what was happening, would ironically be helping O'Connell by battling Atkinson Jr. and Monte separately. Eventually, Monte and Atkinson would team up and work on Woodberry.
About the end of the fifth lap, Woodberry and O’Connell would end up out of the picture and were both actually blocked to the outer railing of the track.
With O’Connell and Woodberry out of the way, the ending became really bizarre. I remembered Monte and Atkinson Jr. shaking hands coming around the final turn of the sixth lap. Then, all of the sudden, Monte laid Atkinson Jr. out with a block and would skate across the finish line first.
Monte,
over the years, was a villain to the San Francisco Bay Area fans.
However, Atkinson
Jr. and particularly, Atkinson Sr. were irate even more. It was
probably one of the rare times that Monte was cheered! Atkinson Sr. was
so incensed that he had to be pulled away by his son from getting at
Monte!
Being only 15 years old at the time, like a few of the fans, we couldn’t help but laugh! It was hilarious to see this. Monte was the ultimate villain and could not be trusted, as it turned out, even by another villain!
Unfortunately, I don’t remember too much regarding either of the games but the Pioneers beat the Chiefs in the first game and the Cardinals defeated the Bombers. A large crowd at the arena wasn’t disappointed in the least. For $3.50, it was a bargain this roller derby fan would not soon forget!
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