The 1973 Western Season would be a redemption as far as the San Francisco Bay Bombers were concerned.
The men's field was bolstered with the addition of Pete Boyd. He had skated on various teams prior such as the Red Devils, Braves and Chiefs. To Charlie O'Connell, he was definitely a welcome addition on a team that needed another big skater.
The Bombers, as well as the IRDL, was definitely a rougher league in 1973 than in the past. Sometimes, fans were wondering if there would be more skaters in the penalty box than on the track.
The Bay Bombers lost in the first round of the Eastern season Gold Cup in May. However, they rolled during the Western season. According to historians, they did not lose a series that was over two games. They would win both the Founder's Cup and the Western Championship over the Chicago Pioneers. It looked like the Bay Bombers were back for good.
However, the 1973-1974 Eastern season turned out to be a disaster. There would be inter league play between the Pioneers and T-Birds.
However, because of the gas crisis, there were eventual cutbacks and cancellations. After two games involving the Bombers and Jolters on November 25, both teams, with no explanation, were told that their season was over. This was unheard of. That left the New York Chiefs and Chicago Pioneers as the only two Roller Derby teams remaining. Interestingly, Charlie O'Connell, known as "Mr. Roller Derby," was placed on the Chicago Pioneer team and not as a coach.
On December 7, Jerry Seltzer and his attorney spoke with the Chiefs and Pioneers' skaters after a game. It was mentioned that December 8th would be the final IRDL game. The league would be sold to Bill Griffiths and Roller Games. No other explanation was apparently given.
On December 8, 1973, word that Roller Derby would fold, got out to the fans happened prior to a game at the Long Island Arena in Commack, NY. Skaters were already devastated by the news and wouldn't know if their careers ended after the game.
The next day, December 9th, which also happens to be this blogger's birthday, a makeshift set of games took place. There was the T-Birds taking on the New York Chiefs and the Eastern Warriors taking on the Chicago Pioneers.
Fans in the New York area were confused when they made their way to Madison Square Garden that day. Originally, the doubleheader was to have the Chiefs facing the Jolters and the Bombers facing the Pioneers.
This was the start of what was known as the International Skating Conference. Soon afterwards, the Chicago Pioneers were history and only, the New York Chiefs were left. More on that in a future post.
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