In sports and sports entertainment, an official, umpire or a referee is someone you don't go to see at an event. They are the most unappreciated ones there.
In the world of Roller Derby, I couldn't name a dozen officials that were in the International Roller Derby League while watching live or on television.
Bill Morrissey will always be at the top of my list. While fans, particularly of the Bay Bombers felt that he had it in for their team, I saw how well Bill was positioned as a referee.
As fast as Roller Derby/Games was, it could be very easy to be out of position to make a call. Very rarely, Morrissey may have not been in a position to make it correctly. That was extremely rare though.
This fan found out much later after the IRDL ended its reign how valuable Morrissey was to sports entertainment. He knew how to put up the track before and after each game in a given city. He had assistance from skaters like Gil Orozco and others. His knowledge with refereeing helped with some of the newer officials that got started in the 1970s and beyond.
He was also good with the skaters throughout his time I'm told. Yes, there were the altercations he had with Bombers' coach, Charlie O'Connell. However, this fan never thought that Bill was bigger than the game itself. He was doing his job.
When I remember an official in Roller Derby, Bill Morrissey is the first that comes to mind.
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