Charlie O'Connell

Roller derby champion Charlie O'Connell was born on May 7, 1935 in New York City. Charlie discovered skating because his grandmother was a fan. O'Connell initially skated for the New York Chiefs and the Chicago Westerners before signing on with the San Francisco Bay Bombers in 1957. One of the most beloved and popular roller derby stars of the 1960's and 1970's, Charlie was named most valuable player in the league eight times and played on five world championship teams in the 1960's. Moreover, O'Connell was inducted into the Roller Derby Hall of Fame in 1967 after his first retirement from the sport. However, Charlie eventually came out of retirement and continued to skate up until 1978. In the wake of his second and final retirement O'Connell settled down in Oakdale, California and went on to manage apartment buildings as well as was a member of the Oakdale Golf & Country Club. O'Connell died of a heart attack at age 79 on February 9, 2015.