A look back at the New York Bombers of the Roller Games era, by Scott Stephens—author of ROLLING THUNDER: The Golden Age of Roller Derby and The Rise & Fall of the LA T-Birds.
The New York Bombers debuted in 1963 under Coach Charlie “Specs” Saunders with Loretta Behrens as women’s captain. Early rosters included Don Rixman, George Adams, Joanne Koons, and Bonnie Nelson, later joined by veterans Jan Vallow and Nick Scopas. Coaching shifts were frequent, with George Vogt, Dave Pound, and Rixman before Leroy “Bad-Boy” Gonzales took over in 1965. Midge “Toughie” Brasuhn and later Vallow led the women.
Ronnie Rains, who began his career with the Bombers in 1963, became one of their most infamous stars. Known for his “psycho” persona, Rains played both red-shirt villain and white-shirt Thunderbird before settling into his role as a Bombers leader. Gonzales, a former Rookie of the Year and one of the league’s first Latino stars, brought intensity and chaos, earning the Bombers the title of the T-Birds’ “most hated team” by 1965. That year New York won the NRL pennant before losing to Los Angeles in the World Series before 13,000 fans at Long Beach Arena.
The Bombers returned to the finals in 1966 with Gonzales at the helm and a roster that included Vallow, Scopas, Adeline Hocker, Lydia Rodriguez, J.J. Burton, and others. By 1969, Roller Games was at its peak, and the Bombers—now led by Rains and Judy Sowinski—were the league’s premier red-shirt squad. They again faced the Thunderbirds in the World Series, boasting a roster with Sowinski, Charlie Mitchell, B.J. Peterson, Lester Quarles, and Leon Jackson.
The team continued as a strong draw into the 1970s. In 1972, Rains represented the Bombers in the President’s Cup, though he lost a match race to Pound. Pound later returned as general manager from 1977 to 1980, stabilizing the franchise. In 1979, the Bombers, led by Greg Quinn and Brenda DeShields, featured exciting skaters like Ken Saunders, George Fernandez, Stephanie Garcia, and Debbie Heldon.
The Bombers remained a perennial rival to the Thunderbirds throughout their history. Their final major moment came on August 21, 1982, when Los Angeles defeated them in the World Series, closing nearly two decades of the Bombers’ notoriety as Roller Games’ most famous red-shirt team.
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