Roller Games eventually encompassed several separate leagues: National Roller Derby (NRD), which was renamed to National Roller League (NRL); Canadian National Roller League (CNRL); and Japanese National Roller League (JNRL). [citation needed] In late 1961, the company was acquired by Bill Griffiths Sr. and Jerry Hill.[1]. The Thunderbirds will head north past the City of Industry, then circle over East Los Angeles and move west, roughly over the Santa Monica (10) Freeway, then fly south along the coast and pass over Long Beach and then south to Newport Beach and east over Santa Ana, … The show currently airs in reruns on Fox Sports 2 and Fox Sports 1. Despite having a number of games skated from 1985–1986, the club again fell into decline, with its aging skaters having no place to practice after the closure of the training facility. T-Birds Team - The LA T-Birds were the premier team of Roller Games. Nov 6, 2014 - 1960’s Thunderbirds Teams - Check out the group photographs of Los Angeles Thunderbirds Roller Derby teams from 1961 to 1969 here. [citation needed]. 6. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. [citation needed] Ratings for the series were actually quite high, even beating the popular American Gladiators. [10] (This incarnation of the Bombers was also unique in that three notable veterans, Ann Calvello, Joan Weston, and Annis Jensen all skated on the same team. This is one full "jam" between the two teams. Loved this as a kid. We want to thank all the T-Birds fans who have read and reviewed the book. Aug 29, 2018 - Explore James Campbell's board "Los Angeles thunderbirds" on Pinterest. Ralphie Valladares, longtime roller derby legend who skated and coached for the Los Angeles Thunderbirds, has died of cancer, it was announced Saturday. [1] However, skaters quickly organized a new version of the club, and a new training center opened. English (US) Español; Français (France) 中文(简体) [1], In 1989, television producers David Sams and Mike Miller worked with Griffiths to produce RollerGames, a U.S. television show that presented an even more theatrical variant of the sport for a national audience. Circa 1979, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, CaliforniaAired on ESPN Classic. Shirley's Thunderbabes 1972. [1] Roller Games and its flagship team, the Los Angeles Thunderbirds (T-Birds) has endured several boom and bust cycles, including a roller derby attendance record in 1972, a major reorganization in 1975, appearances on ESPN in 1986, a TV series called RollerGames in 1989–1990 (and its corresponding arcade game by Konami and its video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System; there was also a pinball machine based on the show), and a small number of untelevised exhibition matches in 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, and the early and mid-2000s. [1][13], As of December 2004, the Bob Sedillo-owned Roller Games International (RGI) league still operates a single team, the Los Angeles Thunderbirds (T-Birds). Thanks to you, Thunderbirds Nation, we have reached 500 followers on YouTube. [1], In 1985, the "International Roller Derby League" name was reactivated (although it was still in the Roller Games format), retaining many skaters from Roller Superstars (renamed Championship Roller Derby) and recruiting new skaters. [7][8] Teams in the ISC included the L.A. T-Birds, the Eastern Warriors, and several international teams: Team Canada, the Tokyo Bombers, and the Latin Libertadores. Jerry Hill headed up the Philadelphia-based team, the Warriors, whose games were broadcast on Kaiser-owned WKBS with announcer Elmer Anderson. 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The LA T-birds was my team. Roller Derby match between SF Bay Bombers and LA Thunderbirds at Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco. A match between the ARSD's San Francisco Bay Bombers and RGI's Los Angeles Thunderbirds (T-Birds) took place on July 29, 2006 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. Shelley Jamison served as the "on-the-track" commentator while the late Wally George did halftime commentary. It was safer to become a Roller Games skater. He began as a used-car television salesman — denting automobile hoods and once knocking off a fender on-camera in the zeal of his hard-sell pitchmanship and continued as a wrestling commentator-promoter, following this with a stint as commentator-announcer for the Los Angeles Thunderbirds roller-derby team. Athlete. [1] Lane's play-by-play was often assisted in the press box and on the infield by Bill "Hoppy" Haupt. In fact, many of the T-Birds were just as popular as those on traditional sports teams such as the Dodgers, Lakers, and Rams. The bankruptcy was not related to the popularity of RollerGames. Create New Account. He was 62. Over 40 years old, it is a nice piece of history. The Olympic Auditorium was the league's primary venue. • Used condition • 30 day returns - Buyer pays return shipping. It was broadcast for one season (1989–1990) before its distributor, Quintex Media, went bankrupt. Professional Sports Team. The revitalized league prospered in the late 1970s and early 1980s: its home venue, the Olympic Auditorium, was sold out for matches on Saturday nights; games were aired on TV (as Roller Superstars); and skaters "Psycho" Ronnie Rains and Ralphie Valladares became minor celebrities in Los Angeles. CANOGA PARK, Calif., Aug. 2 (UPI)—Shirley Hardman, 34 years old, manager of the Los Angeles Thunderbirds roller derby team and a skating star with the team for 13 years, drowned in … Not Now. Los Angeles T-Birds. Los Angeles Thunderbirds Ralph Valladares (July 31, 1936 – November 13, 1998), often known as Ralphie Valladares , was a roller derby skater and coach. Lane came to KTLA in 1942. Related Pages. [1][11], The organization remained dormant for the rest of the 1990s, although the six teams from RollerGames still performed for the public in the Super Roller Dome with the same rules. Bay Area Bombers. [1] He was famous for saying "Whoaaaa, Nelly" (predating Keith Jackson) when fights broke out between the players. Born in Guatemala , Valladares moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was twelve years old. Roller Games was the name of a sports entertainment spectacle created in the early 1960s in Los Angeles, California as a rival to the Jerry Seltzer-owned Roller Derby league, which had enjoyed a monopoly on the sport of roller derby— and its name — since its inception in 1935. Cloudflare Ray ID: 6121179a1ac20853 [1] Griffiths retained the rights to the Roller Games name, however, and organized several matches in 1987 and 1988. Had my skates faltered I wouldn’t be writing this today. ORIGINAL -1973 LOS ANGELES THUNDERBIRDS ROLLER DERBY 8X10 TEAM PHOTO SKATE. Tribute courtesy of Phil Berrier, Roller Derby Forum. Forgot account? They were most often referred to as the LA T-Birds and featured stars such as … The Los Angeles Thunderbirds were the dominant and most popular team in Roller Games and the Bay City Bombers were the flagship team in Roller Derby. [12], In 2003, former Roller Games skater Lou Sanchez used the T'Birds name in a one-off match, National Roller Derby League. Share - ORIGINAL -1973 LOS ANGELES THUNDERBIRDS ROLLER DERBY 8X10 TEAM PHOTO SKATE. I was street-skating and doing crazy stunts such as being towed on the Ventura freeway at 55 to 70 MPH. 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