International Skating Conference

On the morning of Sunday, December 9, 1973, the New York Times printed the above advertisement of a Roller Derby doubleheader at Madison Square Garden.  There would be two games that day.

 

However, word got around prior to the event that there would be a major change.  Fliers were passed out to fans that either had tickets or were about to purchase them.  There would be two games but they would find out who the match ups were that are listed below.

 

Pioneers vs. Warriors (1st game)

Chiefs vs. T-Birds (2nd game)

 

It would turn out to be two inter-league match ups between Roller Derby and Roller Games.  It turned out to be the last time two Roller Derby teams of the IRDL would skate.  This ended up as a transition and a merger from two roller skating leagues to one.

 

Bill Griffiths was running the show now and was at Madison Square Garden for both games.  It was reported that the games were skated much more of a Roller Derby style.

 

After the first game between the Pioneers and Chiefs, it was reported, though no fans knew of this, the Pioneers were disbanded.  A number of their star players (Charlie O'Connell, Joan Weston, Ronnie Robinson, etc.) would be placed on the Los Angeles T-Birds.  Some other skaters were placed on other teams or ended up unemployed.  

 

O'Connell was reported doing commercials for upcoming T-Birds games while the second game of the doubleheader was going on.

 

Following the second game between the Chiefs and T-Birds, Griffiths decided that both teams would remain in a new merged league.  It would be called the International Skating Conference.

 

The only team remaining from Roller Derby was the New York Chiefs at this point.  Gone were the Midwest Pioneers, Ohio Jolters and the San Francisco Bay Bombers.

 

This fan knew nothing about Roller Derby folding nor a merger, until reading an Oakland Tribune article in mid February 1974.  It was stunning to find out that Roller Derby was gone!  However, I was willing to go see an ISC game between the Los Angeles T-Birds and the Baltimore Cats at the Oakland Arena on February 24th.

 

The game was a disaster.  Possibly three to four thousand fans were there for a Sunday afternoon game.  The group of fans I was with left after the sixth period of play.  Charlie O'Connell was mentioned in the articles, but was not in action and had an arm sling.  Joan Weston was not the Joan Weston that I was used to seeing.  It was boring to say the least.  It wouldn't be for three years before attending another game, at Kezar!   

 

Following the first of two International Skating Derby Championships, the San Francisco Bay Bombers would return for the remainder of the ISC on June 7, 1975.  The ISC was history following the second Championship Series between the Warriors and T-Birds which the T-Birds won.  

 

Eventually, what remained of the ISC would become Roller Superstars.

 

Regarding the Bay Bombers, they would be part of an outlaw league with teams such as the Pioneers and Raiders.  It was called the American Skating Derby.  The league would last until late 1975.  Then, that would be history.

 

By 1977, Roller Derby would return and would last roughly ten seasons.  More on what happened in a future post.

Joan Weston

This fan didn't know much about Joan Weston prior to the 1965 season.  Being a fan for two years and watching on television only up to that point, she was hardly ever on television.  My vision back then was the Bay Bombers.  Charlie O'Connell was the coach and Annis Jensen was the women's team captain.

 

In early 1965, things totally changed!  O'Connell was still the coach, but there was a different woman skater wearing number '38'.  When Walt Harris, the trackside announcer mentioned Joan Weston, it was like "what?"

 

I remembered her skating with the Westerners and the Chiefs for brief periods the previous two years.  My questions were why was she the women's captain and where was Annis Jensen?

 

This blog post is not to slam Joannie.  She is definitely a great women's skater, Hall Of Famer, etc.  However, Annis Jensen was the one I admired growing up as a youngster and she was my favorite of all time!

 

This fan found out a few years later that Jensen was replaced following the 1964 season.  Annis chose not to skate with the Bombers following the Western season because she wanted to spend more time with her family.  She had a very young daughter, Barbara at the time.  Roller Derby management decided to make a change of women's captains.

 

Back to Weston, she was definitely part of numerous championships with the Bay Bombers (1965-1968, 1970-1971).  She led women's teams that were often not the strongest teams in the league.  She would find a way to rally the troops together and would do well.

 

After the 1971 IRDL Western season, Joannie, after a year of injuries, was placed on the Chicago "Midwest" Pioneers team.  Up until the end of the IRDL in December 1973, Weston was a big spark for the Pioneers.

 

In the two years of the International Skating Conference, Weston skated for the Los Angeles T-Birds in the first few months of 1974.  After the August 1974 ISC Championships, Weston ended up back with the expansion Bombers team for the fall season.

 

Then, when the International Roller Skating League began (1977-1987), she was placed on the Bay Bombers.  She would retire a few years later.

 

On May 10, 1997, Joan Weston died of Jacob-Kruetzfeld disease in California, but her sudden death inspires a renewed interest in the game.

The 1973 Season

Joan Weston, one of the great women's captains in Roller Derby skating history.
 

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.  

The Return Of The Bombers!

May 27th of 1972 was the biggest day in Bay Area Roller Derby.  It was the return of the San Francisco Bay Bombers.  Many fans including myself were happy to see this!

 

The Chronicle, Examiner and Oakland Tribune had some type of news article throughout the week (around May 23-24.).  Prior to the Bay Bombers returning, the Bay Area Chiefs were skating in the Bay Area going back to April 29th.  The team skated two series against the Red Devils and the Pioneers.

 

What was interesting was the fan reaction in each series.  In the Red Devils series, it was definitely pro-Chiefs.  In the Pioneers series, it was definitely a mixed bag.  The game I witnessed on May 21st at Kezar Pavilion was the most bizarre ever.  It sounded as though more people were rooting for the Pioneers.  Between this, and a schedule that had the Bombers skating in Northern California in early May, the handwriting was on the wall for both the Chiefs and Bombers.

 

You could say on May 27, 1972, the Bay Area fans were happy to see the Orange and Brown back where they should have been in the first place.  This was in spite of this fan running in a marathon the day before and feeling very sore and stiff.   

The 1971-1972 Seasons

The 1971-1972 Western and Eastern seasons were seasons that should have been bundled into one.

 

The reason doing this was the following.  The International Roller Derby League decided to expand to have an Eastern season follow the Western season in 1971.  There would be teams in Chicago (Pioneers), Cincinnati (Jolters) and New York (Chiefs).

 

The San Francisco Bay Bombers were heavily affected by this move.  Popular players such as Charlie O'Connell, Joan Weston, Gil Orozco, Tony Roman, Carol Meyer and more, would move on to other teams.  

 

O'Connell would be the GM and coach of the New York Chiefs.  It was the Chiefs first appearance in the New York area since the mid-1960s when they left the IRDL.

Weston, Orozco, Roman and Meyer ended up with the Chicago (Midwest) Pioneers.  Cliff Butler ended up becoming the head coach of the Ohio Jolters.

 

Also, there was the situation where the Bombers would be sold to a Texas group and play in Texas during the 1972 Western season.  That meant that there would be a discussion who would be the home team in the Bay Area.

 

The 1971-1972 winter season was won by the New York Chiefs when they defeated the Ohio Jolters at Madison Square Garden.  It was a composite two game series with one game being at the old Cincinnati Gardens and one at MSG.  Because the winning margin for the Chiefs was larger than the Jolters' victory in Cincinnati, the Chiefs won the championship.

 

When the Western season began, the New York Chiefs, in essence, took over for the San Francisco Bay Bombers and would actually be the home team for about a month.  They would be known as the Bay Area Chiefs.

The Chiefs drew okay in the Bay Area but the excitement wasn't there as far as the fans were concerned.  They were definitely a good team but as far as fans felt, they were not the Bay Bombers.  Interestingly, when the Chicago Pioneers came in for a series at Kezar Pavilion, it appeared that there were actually more Pioneer fans than Chiefs fans.  That was because Joan Weston was placed on the Pioneer team the previous fall.

 

Reports had it that the Texas ownership group were unable to secure dates in cities for the Bomber team.  It ended up by late May that the Bombers would come back to the San Francisco Bay Area and the Chiefs would go back to being the New York Chiefs.

 

Kezar Pavilion was sold out for a doubleheader the last weekend in May.  The Bombers were back as was Charlie O'Connell, Tony Roman, Carol Meyer and Gil Orozco.  The Bombers lost to the Jolters that day while the Pioneers defeated the Red Devils.  It didn't matter that the Bombers lost as far as the fans were concerned.  They were back.

 

The New York Chiefs were in the Bombers hair all season long whether it was a series or games in general.  In the Western IRDL playoffs in late September, the Chiefs would become the first IRDL team to win an Eastern and Western season title in the same year.  They defeated the Bombers, 44-37 at the Cow Palace.

The 1970 Season

The off season for the International Roller Derby League would provide some surprises.  The biggest one happened to be a split of the Bay Bombers team.

 

The two teams would be the San Francisco Bay Bombers and the Oakland Bay Bombers.  Charlie O'Connell would head the San Francisco version while Ken Monte handled the Oakland version.  The teams skated in different parts of the country during the Bay Area off season.

 

San Francisco skated in the Midwest and the East while Oakland skated in the South and Southwest.

 

The teams did skate in a Championship Game of sorts in April 1970 at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis before the West Coast season would restart in May.  The San Franciscans would edge out the Oaklands, 31-30.

San Francisco would head back to the Bay Area while Oakland would continue skating in Texas until about the middle of May before disbanding the team for the year.

The San Francisco Bay Bombers would start the 1970 Western season strong in winning four of their first five series.  It appeared that the defending champion Braves were strong as well.  It would lead to something that Jerry Seltzer, the promoter never did before.

On July 4, 1970, the first Fourth Of July Spectacular would take place at the Oakland Coliseum.  The Bombers would take on the Braves before around 28,000 fans.  Despite Charlie O'Connell getting tossed out of the game in the sixth period, the Bombers held on in the final skating period to defeat the Braves, 41-38.  They would go on to win that series.

 

Rumor has it that O'Connell got himself tossed out because of a barbecue that was planned early in the year. 

 

Three weeks later, the Bombers would defeat the same Braves team in the Championship Game of the Founder's Cup in the first overtime period.  It was played at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

 

And in the Championship Game in late September, the Bombers would complete the Western season with a win over a very good and surprising Chicago Pioneers team.  The Braves, who won it all in 1969, would eventually fade to fourth during the consolation game.

 

In inter-league action, the Bombers would face only one NSD Team, the New Yorkers (New York Bombers) during the regular season and would sweep them in five games.  It appeared that seeing Roller Games would begin to be a thing of the past.

 

What would the post season bring about.  The next post will have some answers.

88 Years Young!

 

Part of what used to be the Chicago Coliseum in 2019.

 

On this date in world history, Roller Derby was born in Chicago, Illinois.

The 1969 Season

The 1969 season would be another interesting one with Roller Games and Roller Derby.  Would the T-Birds (NSD) and the Bombers (IRDL) continue their domination in their respective leagues?

 

It appeared that the inter league play between the NSD and the IRDL was starting to become less and less.  The New Yorkers (New York Bombers) would be the only series that the Bombers would face during the Western season.

 

However, other than the usual teams in the Pioneers, Braves and Cardinals, there would be a new team skating in the IRDL.  They were known as the Southern Mustangs.  Their uniforms were something like you would see in stock car racing.

 

Also, the New England Braves would have a regional change to the Northeast Braves.  That would remain in their tenure in the IRDL.

 

The post season games did really well attendance-wise in Oakland and in Daly City.  The semi-final games at the Coliseum Arena drew over 11,700 fans.  The Braves would defeat the Pioneers and the Bombers would nip the Cardinals to reach the finals the next night on September 27th.

 

In the Championship Round, a crowd of 14,468 at the Cow Palace, including this blogger, were entertained well with two games.

 

The Pioneers outskated the Cardinals to gain third place.  In the championship game, the Braves would end the Bombers reign, 60-56.  It was one of the greatest Roller Derby games I've seen live! The defenses on both teams were good but both offenses really clicked that night!  The Northeast Braves would win their first, and only championship in the IRDL.

 

Meanwhile, in the NSD, the Los Angeles T-Birds would roll right along in Roller Games.

 

Avenging their two championship defeats in 1968, they would defeat the Detroit Devils in the President's Cup at the Sports Arena during the mid season.  That would be followed up with a win over the New York Bombers in the NSD Championship.

 

What would the off season be like for both the IRDL and NSD?  Well, in the IRDL, there would be a split of the Bomber team going into the fall and winter months.  There would still be the SF Bay Bombers.  However, the Oakland Bay Bombers would be formed.  The two teams would be skating in the East and the Midwest and would eventually meet in a championship game in St. Louis in early 1970.  More on this and what happened with the experiment in a future post.

The Cow Palace

The Cow Palace is an arena that is located in Daly City, California.  Formerly known as the California State Livestock Pavillion, the building opened in April 1941 during World War II.  It was used to process soldiers bound for the Pacific Theater.

The arena has been used for pro wrestling (NWA, AWA, WWE, AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling and ROH).  The latest use was for an AEW Wrestling event called AEW Dynamite and Rampage back in March 2023.

It has also been used for circuses, ice shows. hockey, pro and collegiate basketball, boat shows, sports collector shows, track and field, indoor soccer, indoor football, indoor tennis, boxing and two political conventions, and of course, the Grand National Rodeo.  The rodeo is still the active attraction there.

 

Roller Derby appeared here with the NRDL/IRDL, ISC, IRSL and the ARSD to my knowledge.  Other than one year between 1959-1973, Roller Derby would either have one or both rounds of the Championship Playoffs in the Western Season.

 

This blogging fan was fortunate to see three Championship finals (1969, 1972 and 1973).  The first two were losses to the Northeast Braves and the New York Chiefs.  The final one was a nail biter in which the Bay Bombers won by a point.  Never did I know that it would be the last IRDL game in the Western season.

Yet, this fan had many memorable times at the Cow Palace, no matter what the event was.  It wasn't fancy like some arenas I've been to.  However, you felt like you were at an event when you were there.

The 1968 Season

Richmond Auditorium

 

The 1968 season was, no doubt, the most historical and memorable season whether it was Roller Derby or Roller Games.  A lot of memorable moments happened.

 

Going back to the end of the 1967 season, San Francisco Bay Bombers' great, Charlie O'Connell, would retire temporarily and would take a front office job with the team.  O'Connell, in a halftime ceremony, would be inducted into the Roller Derby Hall Of Fame.  Along with Ann Calvello in 1968, both skaters would be the last two in the 20th century to be inducted.

 

The Bombers would begin 1968 with a new coach in Bob Woodberry.  The women's field was totally revamped with Joan Weston as the only remaining female skater.  Delores Tucker would come on to the Bombers and the two worked very well together.  Also Francine Cochu, the 1967 Female Rookie Of The Year, was added onto the team.

 

Woodberry's start as a coach was a little rocky.  He was tossed out of an early game for having the maximum penalty minutes.  Apparently, it turned out to be a mistake.  The officials, seeing this, turned a loss into a tie.  For some reason, the tie was never skated off.  Yet, Bob and the Bombers would win their first series.

 

Meanwhile, due to racial tensions in 1968, there was a forfeit and two games canceled.  Because of the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, an early June game saw the end of the starting gun.  All games going forward would have the use of a whistle.

 

Charlie O'Connell, by the end of May, would return as the Bombers' coach replacing Woodberry.  Woodberry would be placed on the New England Braves who would eventually win the 1968 pennant.  Because Charlie's number was retired, he would skate the rest of the 1968 season wearing the number 31.

 

There were only four teams in the IRDL (Bombers, Braves, Cardinals and Pioneers) that year.  There would still be some NSD teams skating against the team such as the Devils and Outlaws.  The series between teams were not as long as other seasons.

 

The Kezar Sunday games were moved up to afternoons to make things more fan friendly (supposedly).  However, KTVU Channel 2, would have the games on a delayed basis at 9:30pm the same night.  There would also be competition from a UHF station regarding Roller Games Of The Week.  Their show would come on an hour earlier, at 8:30pm on Sunday nights in the Bay Area.

 

According to the Roller Derby Reporter, the race for first place going into the last week of the season was very tight.  The Pioneers won the mid season Founder's Cup but they wanted more, a pennant.  The New England Braves would finish first in a very close battle.

 

In the Championship round, the Bombers would win their fourth straight championship, 42-41 over the Northwest Cardinals before over 11,000 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.  The Pioneers would upset the favored Braves by a point for third place.  The Oakland Arena would be holding its first Roller Derby Championship of any kind.  It wouldn't be the last either.  For the Bombers, it would be the first time any team would win four straight championships!

 

In the National Skating Derby, the biggest surprise was what happened to the Los Angeles T-Birds.  

 

The T-Birds would lose to the New York Bombers in the mid season President's Cup.  It was the first time that the New York team would win the mid season tournament.

 

In the Championship Finals, after the T-Birds won  six consecutive championships, the Detroit Devils defeated the T-Birds in two overtimes to win their first championship.  It was the same Devils who won the initial President's Cup over the T-Birds.  The 1962 match up took four overtimes to complete.

 

In the eastern portion of the United States, the Philadelphia (Eastern) Warriors would be skating their first full season in the Philadelphia area.  

 

What will the 1969 season provide for both leagues.  The 1969 season post will be out soon!

Bill Morrissey

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.   

The 1967 Season

 Oakland Coliseum Arena

 

The 1967 roller skating season was another interesting one in both the IRDL and the NSD.

 

Beginning with Roller Derby, the Western season would open in late March.  There would once again be inter league play.  The Bombers saw the Detroit Devils, Hawaiian Warriors, New York Bombers and the Texas Outlaws in 1967.  There was also one appearance from the Los Angeles TBirds early in the campaign.

 

One of the biggest differences this season would be the start time of games at Kezar.  Up until 1967, the games would start at 8:30pm.  In 1967, the time of the games were moved up to 7pm.  Also, each Sunday night, KTVU Channel 2, would come on at 9:30pm for a 90 minute telecast.  The telecast would actually be delayed.  This blogger doesn't remember this at all.  The question poses whether or not this was a decision on Jerry Seltzer's alone or with KTVU or possibly the City Of San Francisco.  There had been some trouble with games a Kezar in 1966 and there was a forfeited game early in 1967.  If I can find any more info on this, I will update this post!

 

The Bombers would face the IRDL teams such as the Pioneers, Cardinals and Chiefs as well.

 

In June, the Bombers would be in the IRDL Championship Playoffs as they would defeat the New York Chiefs in the finals of the Founder's Cup tournament.  Both the semi final and final rounds would be held at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.  The reason this happened was because the Cow Palace had Professional Wrestling scheduled on the night of the finals.

 

It definitely appeared to be more match races in 1967 than ever before.  It wasn't just the coaches either.  Jammers vs. Jammers started being a common thing.  Also, fans started seeing the beginning of the Anything Goes Match Race which was a little more than blocking allowed.

 

Towards September, an interesting thing happened.

 

The New York Chiefs played a somewhat short series against the Bombers that ended in early September.  About a week later, a new team called the Canadian Nationals skated and beat the Pioneers in a doubleheader game at the Cow Palace.

 

They would face the Bombers in the following series, only to lose, eight games to four.  At the time, this fan didn't know it but a long time franchise, one that was the founding franchise in the NRDL was to be disbanded.  That happened to be the New York Chiefs.

 

No one knows exactly the story but it appeared that several members of the Chiefs weren't thrilled with what was going on in the International Roller Derby League.  Sadly, the New York Chiefs would not return to the IRDL until the 1971-1972 Winter Season.  More on that in a later post.

 

According to Roller Derby Reporter, it appeared that the Canadian Nationals may possibly not be the replacement team to the Chiefs.  The team wasn't bad but one was asking a group that was formed in a short team to be like the Bombers, Pioneers or Chiefs.  It didn't happen.

 

What did happen was sometime before the playoffs began in late October, the Detroit Devils of the NSD would be in the playoffs.  This happened while a long series between the Bombers and Cardinals were going on.

 

The Devils skated tough against the Bombers in the semi finals of the IRDL Playoffs, only to lose by three points.  Detroit would defeat the Pioneers the next night to finish in third place.  A number of Detroit Devils' personnel thanked Jerry Seltzer and the IRDL for giving the team a chance to skate.  It turned out that this was the only time in NRDL/IRDL history that this would happen.

 

On to Roller Games, the Los Angeles T-Birds would sweep the President's Cup and the Roller Games Championship.  They would defeat the Texas Outlaws in the Championship Game.

 

Their season would see the T-Birds take on the Outlaws, New York Bombers, Devils, Warriors and Hawks.

 

The Hawaiian Warriors would skate a lot more in Hawaii.  However, in the fall, the franchise would move to the Philadelphia and nearby areas.  While in the area, they would either be called the Philadelphia or Eastern Warriors.  The team would be a factor in the National Skating Derby for the next several years.

 

In November, to my knowledge, late in the month, there would be several All Star Games both in Northern and Southern California between the NSD and IRDL All Stars.

 

Moving forward, how will the 1968 season in both the NSD and IRDL unfold.  Please check out the next post coming at you soon! 

The 1966 Season

San Jose Civic Auditorium

 

Would like to begin by mentioning that, before the 1966 season began, there would be three new members of the Roller Derby Hall Of Fame.

 

The three were Buddy Atkinson Sr., Hal Janowitz and Bill Reynolds.  All three would contribute in various ways during the 1966 season.

 

Speaking of 1966,  it appeared that the off season began in January 1966 involving the Bombers and Northwest Cardinals.  The teams skated a road trip of roughly 35 games, some games in Northern California and some in the Midwest and East.

 

The Western season would officially open in late March against the New York Chiefs.

 

Things would be different in 1966.  There would be inter league play for the first time.  The Bombers first opponent would be the Detroit Devils on April 24th making it the first skated game under Roller Derby rules. (More on the first ever inter league game in the Roller Games section).

 

Other inter league teams the Bombers would see were the Los Angeles Thunderbirds, Texas Outlaws, New York Bombers (known as the New Yorkers) and the Chicago Hawks.

 

The Bombers would also skate against the league's Chiefs, Midwest Pioneers, Northwest Cardinals and a familiar nickname, the Braves.  This time, it wasn't the Los Angeles Braves but the Boston/New England Braves.

 

In early June, there would be a mid season concept for the first time.  It was called the Founder's Cup named after Roller Derby's founder, Leo Seltzer.  The top four teams in the standings would skate a two day tournament.  

The first night's action was skated at the Cow Palace while the second night happened at the Oakland Auditorium.  What was interesting was that the Bombers lost in the first night of action, something very unusual.  The Northwest Cardinals ended up as the winner of the tournament.  A win would guarantee a team a spot in the Championship Playoffs at the end of the Western Season. 

 

During this skating season, it seemed that there were more match races than ever before.  Also, and this was unfortunate, there would be a forfeit of a game at Kezar Pavilion.  The event took place late in the season during the final week of the regular season.  The game was ruled a forfeit after continuous debris was thrown on the track during a televised game.  The Bombers lost as a result.

The two day Championship Playoffs would be held at the Cow Palace for the final time.  In 1967, the newly built Oakland Coliseum Arena and the Cow Palace would alternate days going forward.

 

The Chiefs won the league pennant.  With the Cardinals clinching a playoff spot by winning the Founder's Cup and the Bombers doing well during the season, it came down to the Pioneers and Braves for the last spot.  It appeared that the Braves, maybe because of their series win over the Bombers, would be the final team in.

 

The playoffs were as tight as any year that I noticed.  The Chiefs and Bombers with one point victories, went to the championship round.

 

In the Championship Game, it would be the lowest scoring final in IRDL history.  It wasn't that the offenses were bad.  It was that the defenses were that good.  The Chiefs had Mike Gammon and Judy McGuire as their top jammers.  The Bombers countered with Tony Roman and Carol Meyer.  All four jammers had difficult times scoring points.  This fan remembers that the Chiefs were the favorites and the Bombers, the underdogs.

 

Moving ahead to the final period of play, I remembered Charlie O'Connell taken out of action with a clean block by Buddy Atkinson Jr.  He would be out for several jams before returning to the game late.  

 

Remembering vaguely, the Bomber team appeared shaken as well as the boisterous crowd of over 12,000 fans at the Cow Palace.

 

The final jam of regulation had O'Connell throwing a jump block at Atkinson Jr.  The Bombers prevailed, 19-18.  It has been noted that Charlie O'Connell likely suffered a concussion in the final period of play. 

 

A couple of months later, the Bombers would skate at the Oakland Coliseum Arena for the very first time.  It was billed as the Interleague World Series against the NSD's Los Angeles Thunderbirds.

 

The Bombers would prevail at the Coliseum Arena on November 11.  For more on what happened the next night in Long Beach, please see Roller Games.

 

In Roller Games, it appeared that the Los Angeles T-Birds were dominating for much of the 1966 season.

 

They would take care of the New York Bombers both in the President's Cup and the Championship Playoff Finals.

 

However, the T-Birds will go down as the first team to take part in interleague play (NSD vs IRDL).  

 

On April 24th, the Bombers skated their interleague opener against the Detroit Devils.  Ten days earlier, on April 14th, the T-Birds would open their inter league series against the Northwest Cardinals at the Grand Olympic Auditorium.  The T-Birds won 85-82 and would win the best-of-five series, three games to two.

 

A couple of days after that series, the Cardinals would travel to the San Joaquin Valley to face the New York Bombers in a three game series in Fresno and Tulare.

 

As mentioned in the Roller Derby section, the T-Birds skated a two game Interleague Championship series against the Bombers.

 

The T-Birds lost the first night in Oakland.  They would win the following night at the Long Beach Arena to split the two game series.

 

Moving on, what would the two leagues do for the 1967 season.  More on that when the 1967 season is posted soon!     

Walt Harris

Walt Harris interviewing Kenji Shibuya, United States Heavyweight Champion and World Tag Team Champion in the San Francisco territory area back in the 1960s.

 

For those growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, there were some great sports announcers one could listen to back in the 1960s.

 

In baseball, it was Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons.  In football and basketball, it was Bill King.  In hockey, it was Roy Storey.

 

When it came to pro wrestling, and in this post, Roller Derby, it would have been hard to find someone better than Walt Harris.

 

Harris began announcing Roller Derby games in the 1959 National Roller Derby League season on the West Coast.  One of the first employees, he was the sports director at KTVU Channel 2.  It was an independent station trying to make it big in the area.  Walt was also an announcer for National All Star Wrestling, a promotion headed by Roy Shire, one of the top promoters in the country at the time.   

 

I'm told that Walt did some announcing for a previous wrestling promotion, NWA San Francisco, before Shire took over the Northern California territory.

 

For the next few years, Harris would become more popular with Roller Derby fans nationwide.  Roller Derby on the West Coast would expand to over 140 stations from coast-to-coast.  Anyone following Derby during this era would know who Walt Harris was.

 

Despite the fact that KTVU Channel 2 changed management in the late 1960s, Walt never appeared unnerved.  Roller Derby, which was on Sunday evenings, decided to change to afternoons.  It wasn't the most popular decision amongst fans in the area.

 

Unfortunately for wrestling fans, KTVU decided to cancel wrestling programing in 1970.  There were several reasons.  One was the opinion of management at the station that pro wrestling was violent.  The second was a rift between promoter, Roy Shire and station managment.  Harris, because of being an employee of KTVU was replaced.  Wrestling studio television shows were now in Sacramento instead of Oakland.  Harris now had Roller Derby and the producer for San Francisco Giants baseball games for the station.

 

In December 1973, Roller Derby, as we knew it, folded.  There had been talk that Roller Derby was going to end its run on KTVU.  The last televised game for viewers was the Championship Playoffs on September 8th from the Cow Palace.  Very little of us knew that this would be Walt's final telecast.  What I remembered was that he was on top of things as an announcer that evening as what he was when I first started watching in 1963, just 10 years before.

 

Another note I want to share with those reading this.  When Walt was back at Madison Square Garden for a Roller Derby matchup during the winter tour in 1970, he received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd in attendance.  

 

Harris passed away in 2018 at the age of 97.  He will never be forgotten by this blogger and the many roller derby fans who followed the banked track.

 

I can hear those words........"Kezar Pavillion, Golden Gate Park in the City Of San Francisco!"

The 1965 Season - Games vs, Derby

 Sacramento Memorial Auditorium

 

The 1965 season has to go down as one of the most unpredictable seasons for two of the top skating leagues, Roller Derby and Roller Games.

 

The previous November, the stage was set.  The National Skating Derby would come to San Francisco and Northern California and would stage a series of All Star Games at Winterland.  The California All Stars would take on the Texas Outlaws in most of the matchups.  Other games would have the Devils instead of the Outlaws taking on the all star team.

 

The IRDL, knowing of this, would have a series of games at Kezar Pavillion at the same time.  Winterland and Kezar were about three miles apart from each other.  Anyway, the Bombers skated against the IRDL All Stars.

 

Early in January 1965, after a couple of preseason games, the newly formed San Francisco Bay Shamrocks of the National Skating Derby, opened their season on January 9th.  Their opponent would be NSD's 1964 World Champion, Los Angeles Thunderbirds.  The Shamrocks were victorious, 69-65 at Winterland.  They would go on to win the series, five games to zero, and their season was underway!

 

The IRDL Bombers would open their season a lot earlier than in past years on the West Coast.  They would open in San Jose against the New York Chiefs, a victorious one.

 

From the newspaper clippings, both teams did well on the scoreboard with series wins.  However, over the six-plus months of the Shamrocks, there were numerous obstacles that they weren't able to overcome.

 

Often, the two teams played on the same day in the same city, like Sunday nights in San Francisco!  One team would draw fans, the Bombers, and one wouldn't, the Shamrocks.

 

By June, you would see less and less appearances by the newly formed team.  Eventually, by the middle of July, it was decided by management that the Shamrocks would be a "road" only team.  In August, the team traveled to Hawaii to face another NSD team.  In 1963, they were the Honolulu Hawaiians.  The team would switch from the IRSL to NSD sometime late in 1964.  That team would be the Hawaiian Warriors. More on this under Roller Games.

 

If Roller Games was having issues, Roller Derby wasn't perfect either.  Most of the Bay Bombers' series were long series of two to three weeks.  A couple of exceptions were the Honolulu Hawaiians and the Los Angeles Braves.

 

In the case of the Hawaiians, there was one - four game series in June that really seemed unusual.  After that series, we never heard from the Hawaiians again except for a doubleheader game at the Cow Palace. 

 

Regarding the Los Angeles Braves, this was interesting too.  There would be a game here in the Bay Area.  Then, there would be a game in Los Angeles.  Later, roller skating fans learned that the Braves were a part of an outlaw league called American Roller Races.  The league was formed by Braves' skater, George Copeland in 1964.

 

There would be an addition of one team, the Texas Mustangs that appeared in a the same doubleheader in June at the Cow Palace.  From what this blogger saw, just one game only.  The Mustangs were also a team that was part of American Roller Races.  Interesting!

 

It appeared that the remaining four teams in the Bombers, Cardinals, Pioneers and Chiefs would be active.  For example, if the Bombers and Cardinals were playing a series in Northern California, the Pioneers and Chiefs would skate somewhere in the Midwest.  So, for the skaters, that was good news.

 

Besides this, the season provided a lot of Roller Derby and Games action in the Northern California.  The season would end with the Championship Playoffs at the Cow Palace.  This would be the final year that the Cow Palace would hold two games each night.  More on this with the 1966 Season post.

 

The two day Cow Palace totals drew over 27,000 fans with 15,122 at the second night of action.  It was the second largest crowd to the 1963 Championship Game.

 

The Bombers would make it two straight championships with a 47-42 triumph over a good Cardinals team.  The Pioneers edged the Chiefs in the third place game.

 

Now, on to the National Skating Derby.  The season was definitely complex as was the IRDL.  The NSD was working on adding three teams, to my knowledge.  They were the Arizona Chargers, a team that played some home games in the Phoenix area, the Shamrocks in Northern California and the Hawaiian Warriors.  

 

The Warriors, apparently formed in 1963, came into their own in 1965.  They would skate in the mainland whether in Northern or Southern California.  They would become the only skating team in Hawaii when the Honolulu Hawaiians disbanded late in 1965 in the IRDL.  Eventually, of the three teams mentioned, the Warriors were the only ones to make it until the National Skating Derby ended in December 1973.  The Warriors would also finish third in the consolation game at the end of the season.

The Los Angeles T-Birds did well in capturing the NSD Championship and the President's Cup in mid season.  The T-Birds defeated the New York Bombers 115-111 at the Sports Arena.

 

The one unfortunate situation with the National Skating Derby was some postponements in the Los Angeles area in August due to the Watts riots.  There were postponements of Roller Games and Pro Wrestling as a result.  However, it appeared that in early September, there would be skating once again.

 

The off season for both the International Roller Derby League and the National Skating Derby would prove to be a short one.

 

Both leagues would have games in January.  There would be a few surprises!  Would there be inter league play?  Would there be a mid season tournament in the IRDL?  Also, would the IRDL be possibly be skating in a new arena?

 

Please check out the 1966 Season to be posted soon!

Judy Sowinski

Photo taken from the magazine, Inside The Roller Games.

 

Over the sixty years of following the skaters on the banked track, there is one skater that is more impressing each time her name has been mentioned.

 

Back on August 3, 1966, this blogger's second Roller Derby game was an inter-league one.  This took place nearby home at Castro Valley High School on their football field.

 

The NSD's Chicago Hawks would take on the IRDL's Bay Bombers.  From recollection, they would be led by coach, John Parker, George Vogt, Sally Vega, Tony Tagg and my featured skater, Judy Sowinski.

 

The Hawks won that night.  Though being a Bombers fan at the time, Sowinski and Tagg worked really well as a tandem.  Sowinski was a force and was in on many scoring plays with the Hawks, especially with Sally Vega as the jammer. 

 

Vaguely, I remembered watching on television the previous Sunday night.  Sowinski was mentioned time and time again by announcer, Walt Harris.  She gave Bombers' women's captain, Joan Weston fits with her skating style which was faster and just as good with her blocks!

 

Judy was interested in banked track skating back in 1957 when watching a Roller Derby matchup at the Chicago Coliseum.  After a tryout, she would soon join a National Roller Derby League team.

 

Her first team would be the San Francisco Bay Bombers in 1959, the team's first league season in the NRDL.  She would skate with the team briefly and would get a feel what a Championship Game was like.

 

In 1960, she was a big part of the first Bombers championship.  Judy would receive NRDL Rookie Of The Year honors.

 

In July 1961, Sowinski was sent to the New York Chiefs in exchange for Ann Bauer during a series that the Bombers and Chiefs were skating in at the time.  Bauer, a veteran, would finish her career with the Bombers and would retire after the 1965 season.  In the meantime, Sowinski was just getting started.

 

After being on two more teams in the 1961 season with the Los Angeles Braves and the Honolulu Hawaiians, Sowinski made a major move after the season.

 

Judy, while still on the Bombers, was promised a trip to Hawaii when the team was to travel there.  At the very last moment prior to the trip, Sowinski was swapped for another skater.  This led to a future move. 

 

A rival league, Roller Games or the National Skating Derby (if one prefers) was being formed. Judy would become part of a strong Los Angeles Thunderbirds team for the next few years.  Seeing a couple of videos, she was a strong presence with the team.

 

What this blogger didn't know until a couple of years ago, was that she would be loaned out to other teams.  When I saw her on television for the first time, she was a huge part of the Chicago Hawks in 1965.  She did some skating with the Hawaiian Warriors that season, another NSD team that was fairly new at the time.

 

Near the end of the 1968 season, she would become the women's captain of the Chicago Hawks.  During the 1969 season, she would become women's captain of the New York Bombers.  The NY Bombers were a strong force that season.  They nearly knocked off the T-Birds in that season's championship game.

 

After four seasons with the Bombers, Judy would return for NSDs final season with the T-Birds.  She would remain with the T-Birds when the International Skating Conference was formed.  Eventually, she became captain of the T-Birds.  Late in 1974. she moved on to the Philadelphia (Eastern) Warriors and would captain the team there.

 

Moving forward, after several more years in various leagues, in 2005, she became a coach and head trainer for the Penn Jersey She Devils, a team that was part of the Penn Jersey Roller Derby League.  Judy and Arnold "Skip" Schoen were recruited by Ken Sikes and Greg Spencer, co-owners of the league.  Judy would continue to give her time to something she loved up until her death in 2011.

 

There are several things I remember about Judy that will share here.

 

I remembered vividly the rivalry with the Eastern Warriors, and especially with Warriors' captain, Judy Arnold.  Thanks to UHF television at the time in the San Francisco Bay Area, this was possible!  The games with the NY Bombers and Warriors were epic and the battles with Sowinski and Arnold.  They were classics and I still remember watching them today!

 

Second, this may be corny, but Sowinski had a nice part in the movie, Kansas City Bomber.  The movie was good in my opinion.  Seeing some stars such as Sowinski, Ronnie Rains, Coleen Murrell and others, it was a change of pace for this fan.

 

Judy Sowinski deserves all the accolades and even more from this fan.  Undoubtedly, in my era, she was the best "red shirt" skater I saw overall.