Tribute courtesy of Phil Berrier, Roller Derby Forum
Leroy Gonzales
If you met him on the street or at a social gathering you would have thought that this shy, handsome unassuming man was the most gentle and likeable person imaginable. One of his colleagues once said, " after one time around the banked track in the heat of a jam, the fans were likely to be screaming to have him tossed out of the game." The seeming enigma made Leroy Gonzales one of the most respected yet controversial figures in the history of the banked track.
Just 5 feet 7 inches tall and a slender 150 lbs., when Leroy Gonzales came on the track for warm-ups he passed occasionally unnoticed during pre-game activity. His severest critics and opponents all agreed that Leroy was one of the truly finest skaters in the game. He was born in Texas and soon moved to California. At Los Angeles Theodore Roosevelt High, Leroy was president of the senior class, editor of the school yearbook and an all-around athlete, making a name for himself in football, track and tennis. He was a fine student, majoring in science, was editor of the school paper and vice-president of his class. He continued his education at the University of California at Berkeley, in between his skating career and service in the US Navy as a petty officer where surprisingly, he received a Good Conduct Award.
Gonzalez started his skating career in 1955
Below is a list of Leroy Gonzalez's skating career teams
- 1956 National Roller League New York Chiefs (Hawaii), Brooklyn Red Devils
- 1957 NRL Brooklyn Red Devils
- 1962 NRL Honolulu Hawaiians
- 1963 NRL New York Chiefs, Mexico City Cardinals, Traveling Bombers, Tri-Staters
- 1964 IRDL California Cardinals
- 1965 IRDL California Cardinals, National Skating Derby New York Bombers Coach, Chicago Hawks
- 1966 NSD New York Bombers Coach, IRDL New Yorkers Coach
- 1967 NSD New York Bombers Coach
- 1968 NSD New York Bombers Coach, Detroit Devils Coach
- 1969 NSD Detroit Devils Coach
- 1970 NSD Detroit Devils Coach, New York Bombers Coach
- 1971 NSD Detroit Devils Coach, Australian Devils Coach
- 1972 NSD Brooklyn Devils Coach, Australian Devils Coach, Orient team Coach
- 1973 NSD Texas Outlaws GM, Latin Liberators Coach
- 1974 International Skating, Conference Latin Liberators Coach
- 1975 ISC New York Chiefs
- 1979 National Roller League, (Roller Games) New York Bombers
- 1980 NRL New York Bombers
- 1981 Roller Derby Games T-Birds (Announced but did not skate)
- 1982 NRL New York Bombers
- 1983 International Roller, Skating League Southern Jolters, NRL New York Bombers, Texas Outlaws, Detroit Devils
- 1984 NRL Chicago Hawks GM
- 1985 International Roller Derby League, (Roller Games) Hollywood Hawks GM, Northern Devils GM
- 1986 IRDL Hollywood Hawks GM
His skating awards included Rookie of the Year, MVP and Coach of the Year. He Coached the NSD's New York Bombers to 3 straight World Series finals. His biggest award was coaching the Detroit Devils in their NSD World Series win against the Los Angeles Thunderbirds in 1968. In 1984, he skated for the last time in one of the most brutal match races of all time, against arch enemy John Hall.
In 1972, he "retired" in order to move permanently to Australia to start a new career. But the games called him back less than a year later.
He declared once that Joe Foster was his toughest opponent with Dave Pound and Annis Jensen as the best all around professional skaters and Billy Bogash and Gerry Murray his most admired skaters of all time. Despite his size and aggressiveness against larger and heavier opponents he had only one serious injury skating and that was a compound fracture of the right thigh.
Off the track, Leroy assumed his shy, scholarly approach to life. He loved to bowl, raise dogs and pursued an interest in archeology of the Indian culture of the Southwest. Leroy Gonzales died of cancer in Las Vegas. May he now rest in piece.
