Charlie O'Connell (May 7, 1935 – February 9, 2015) was a

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leaguesA Roller Derby league is synonymous with an individual club or team in other team sports, as ...

skater, considered the premier male star of his sport. He was inducted into the

Roller Derby Hall of Fame The Roller Derby Hall of Fame, also known as the National Roller Derby Hall of Fame, was founded in 1952,William H. Young and Nancy K. Young, ''World War II and the Postwar Years in America'', p.596 by the editors of the ''Roller Derby News'' paper. ...

in 1967, after his first retirement. A native

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

er, at and , he was one of the larger and speedier players, considered a "prototype pivotman". p. 4 He made an immediate impact in his 1953 debut season with the New York Chiefs and was named rookie of the year. Nicknamed "Mr. Roller Derby", he went on to win the league's Most Valuable Player award eight times. He was most commonly associated with the San Francisco Bay Bombers for most of his career. He initially retired in 1967, but soon returned to the sport and played until 1978, before finally hanging up his skates for good. p. 11 He estimated he had played "well over 3000 games" during his career. He was one of the focal points of the 1971 documentary film ''

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

''. He died aged 79 on February 9, 2015.

References

External links

* See photo i
''Abilene Reporter-News'' article
- via

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1935 births 2015 deaths American roller skaters Roller derby skaters Sportspeople from New York City {{US-sport-bio-stub