The 1959-1960 Season

 

Following the 1959 Roller Derby World Series, it appeared that Roller Derby took a little break before the Fall and Winter season would begin.

 

From newspaper clippings, the 1959 Champion, Chicago Westerners faced the San Francisco Bay Bombers in October.  They would face the Bombers again in April 1960 in Chicago, Indianapolis, IN and Green Bay, WI. 

Meanwhile, in the East Coast area, mostly at the 9th Regiment Armory (pictured above), the New York Chiefs would take on the Bombers, Westerners, Braves, Red Devils and the Hollywood Stars.  They were a newly formed team during the early portion of that season.  

 

From late October 1959 until May 1960, the Chiefs also played in Commack, NY at the Long Island Arena, Ashbury Park, NJ at Convention Hall and in White Plains, NY.

It wouldn't be until about mid-May when the 1960 Roller Derby Western Season began. 

 

On Friday, May 13th at the San Jose Municipal Ball Park, the Bay Bombers defeated the Brooklyn Red Devils, 28-22.  This was definitely different than the 1959 opener at the National Guard Armory in San Francisco.  In fact, the Armory hosted their final game the previous August.  It would never be used again for Roller Derby.

 

During the Western Season, Roller Derby would appear often at the Daly City Cow Palace.  Other venues would be the Auditoriums in Oakland, Richmond and San Jose.  Owner, Jerry Seltzer would extend venues to smaller towns such as Napa and Antioch where the games would be held at their Fairgrounds during the summer.  The City Of Hayward would have several games at the Bret Harte Amphitheater  Definitely, Roller Derby was beginning to expand.

 

Yet, the 1960 Western Season historically was the shortest season.  As mentioned, the season began on Friday, May 13th with the Bombers and Red Devils.  It concluded on August 9th with a two game set with the Los Angeles Braves which the teams split at one game apiece.

 

Also, what was interesting during the 1960 regular season was that there were only four teams that skated here.  

 

The Bay Bombers, originally coached by Bill Laurino at the start of the season, were now led by Charlie O'Connell and Annis Jensen.

 

The New York Chiefs had Gene Gammon and Gerry Murray running things.  

 

The Los Angeles Braves had Red Smartt and Bobbi Mateer as the coach and women's captain.

 

The Brooklyn Red Devils were originally coached by Jim Ciota.  However, Ken Monte, who was injured throughout the previous season, returned to coach the team with his wife, Midge "Toughie" Brasuhn as the captain.

 

Bill Laurino, who was the Bombers' coach, would move on to be the Hollywood Stars mentor.

 

Hal Janowitz would continue to coach the defending champion, Chicago Westerners.  However, The last mentioned clip of a Westerners game was on April in Green Bay, Wisconsin against the Bombers.

 

The Westerners would not return until July 31, 1962 during the Western season against the Bombers in San Jose. 

 

Most of the series the Western season would be anywhere from 15 to 20 games.  This fan doesn't  recall that this happened after this season.

 

Though the Bombers defeated the Chiefs during their only Western series during the season at 13-9, the Chiefs would go on and win the 1959-1960 pennant based on a better record.

 

The 1960 Roller Derby World Series occurred on Friday/Saturday, August 12th and 13th at the Cow Palace.  This would be the only time during the Western season that the championships would be held in mid-August.  In other years, it would be held mostly in September.  In 1967, there would be an exception.  The championship playoffs were held in October.

 

This blogger has always been curious why the 1960 Western season was so short.  It could have been the because of the previous fall and winter series of games in the Midwest and East.  Roller Derby's World Series went up against the 1960 Rome Olympics, Pro Football and Major League Baseball in August.  However, that happened in other years as well with the two major sports.

In doing this post, this blogger was stunned by the lack of articles for the Championship Playoffs.  Though there were advertisements both days, there was very little mentioned in the Chronicle, Examiner and the Oakland Tribune.  Much of the sports pages had to do with the Rome Summer Olympics, Pro Football exhibition games and the Major League Baseball season.  Despite the lack of information, here is what this blogger came up with.

The Friday night semi-final games had the third place, Los Angeles Braves defeating the Brooklyn Red Devils, 35-31.  In the second game, the San Francisco Bay Bombers whipped the pennant winning New York Chiefs, 45-31.

 

Saturday night would be no different for the 1960 pennant winning Chiefs.  The upstart Brooklyn Red Devils would upset the Chiefs, 29-27 in the third place game.  Winning the 1960 pennant proved little for the talented Chief team.

 

In the championship game, the San Francisco Bay Bombers would win their first ever Roller Derby Championship, 32-27 over the Los Angeles Braves.  The two teams would face one another for the very first time in post season.

 

Unfortunately, there are no attendance figures for the two games, though I have heard from sources that the games were well attended.

 

For the second season in a row, the Bombers women's captain, Annis Jensen, was named Playoff MVP.  Bert Wall, the Braves coach was named the Men's Playoff MVP.

 

Gerry Murray (Chiefs) and Charlie O'Connell (Bombers) were named Roller Derby Queen and King.

 

Judy Sowinski (Bombers) and a tie between Jay Shaw (Red Devils) and Bob Woodberry (Chiefs) were named Women's and Men's Rookies Of The Year.

The regular season MVPs were Gerry Murray and Mike Gammon, both of the Chiefs.

 

Finally, the NRDL Women's All Star Team consisted of Annis Jensen (Bombers), Bobbie Mateer (Braves), Gerry Murray (Chiefs), Jean Porter (Chiefs, Braves, Bombers, Red Devils) and Joan Weston (Chiefs).

 

NRDL Men's All Star Team was George Copeland (Braves), Mike Gammon (Chiefs), Charlie O'Connell (Bombers), Hal Janowitz (Bombers) and Charlie Saunders (Chiefs).

 

There would be an All Star series of games following the championship playoffs.  The West (Bombers and Braves) would face the East (Chiefs and Red Devils).  The West team would win eight of the 13 games played.  The final game of the series would be skated at the Cow Palace on September 10th.

 

According to sources,  there didn't appear to be Roller Derby involvement during the fall and winter months of 1960 back in the Midwest and East.  The next Roller Derby game would not take place until late March in 1961.  There would be a new venue for the Roller Derby Playoffs and a new team forming in the National Roller Derby League.  Topping all of this was the news of two possible new leagues for 1961.  More in the next post.