During the 1959, 1960 and 1961 seasons, Roller Derby didn't have a permanent home in San Francisco. In 1959, for several months, the team played at the San Francisco Armory (14th and Mission Streets). However, after June of 1959, the sport never played there again. The team would often skate at the Cow Palace in 1960 and 1961. However, things changed in the 1962 season.
Kezar Pavilion (pictured above) would become the permanent home for the Bay Area team on April 1, 1962. It was home for boxing, pro wrestling, some college basketball and high school basketball games. Now, it would be the home for Roller Derby and the Bay Bombers. The Bombers lost their first game at Kezar to the Brooklyn Red Devils that year. However, Kezar became a famous arena, especially for Bombers' telecasts on Sunday evening on KTVU Channel 2.
Walt Harris, sports director for the station, would be the lead play-by-play announcer for both Roller Derby and Big Time Wrestling. For Roller Derby, he began telecasting games in 1959 and continued doing it through the 1973 Western Season playoffs. His famous catch phrase "Kezar Pavilion, Golden Gate Park, in the City of San Francisco, caught on with Roller Derby fans around the country and eventually, worldwide. Not only he did the play-by-play, but he would do halftime interviews with skaters, and of course, the owner of Roller Derby and Bay Bombers GM, Jerry Seltzer.
Harris, in my mind, was brilliant as an announcer. He was great in promoting the sport. At the time, Roller Derby, with roughly 800,000 fans attending games in Northern California, outdrew every major league sports team except the San Francisco Giants of MLB. Harris was to Roller Derby as his friend, Dick Lane was to Roller Games down in Southern California.
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