Tribute courtesy of Phil Berrier, Roller Derby Forum
Bill Morrissey
Most of these incredible Roller Derby athletes will always tell you what happened out there on the banked track was a collaborative effort. The executives booked the arenas and hired the talent, the skaters were on the track, fans were in the stands, the announcers were calling the game and working with the skaters while the referees were making sure it all was in a form that had a beginning, middle and end that could be understood by even the newest fan.
The referees are probably the most unappreciated components of Roller Derby and from what I've been told, there was no one more loved than Bill Morrissey. His role on the road was to make sure the track arrived at the next venue so it could be set up for the next game, then he was there on the infield ensuring fans would see something professional and legitimate. When you think about it, considering how worked certain things were in the game, the officiating never became an issue in the original Roller Derby. It was one of the most pure aspects of the sport.
Just as we honored the announcers this year who gave so much to make the game great, the National Roller Derby Hall of Fame will honor the contributions and accomplishments of referees in the future.
Nevertheless, until we do that, the contributions of a Bill Morrissey will always be appreciated by all those who love this game.
Gary Powers
Bill Morrissey was one of the kindest, nicest people you could ever meet. We would be fighting and getting it on and he would invariably be hit by accident. You always felt bad about it, because he never was rough with you whenever he would step up and stop a fight. He was such a gentleman, both on the track and off, and he had a great sense of humor. When I was a new kid and got put into the infield, he would just reach out and stop me and never even look away from the track as he was refereeing. I had the pleasure of being on a road trip with both Bill and Dee and we had so many laughs and good times. I just remember smiles and laughs and good times. I really can't believe somebody that generous and kind is gone. We all lost a sweet man.
I think it is great to honor all of the people who were out there doing their jobs. The game would never have started without the whistle from the refs.
Candy Jones
Bill Morrissey was one of the greatest referees Roller Derby ever had. Bill & I started in Roller Derby as 18 yr old kids, he with the track & helping the announcer by keeping score & me with the Red Devils. Our friendship grew through the years & we & the group of us that all hung around together just grew closer. There was a few times that I roomed with Bill & he was such a great guy. Lot of fun to be around & if there ever was any trouble Bill was one guy you would want on your side. If you were his friend there was nothing he wouldn't do for you. His refereeing was impeccable. He kept the game moving at a smooth pace. When I came back to the Bay Area in 1966 I started refereeing & Bill showed me the ropes. How to walk the track, how to hold the whistle so you won't drop it, things to watch for in the game, how to break up a fight without getting clobbered by a skater or two, etc. The guy was fabulous & if they have an award for referees Bill Morrissey certainly deserves to be at the top of the list to receive one.
Bill Morrissey, a referee's referee.
Joe Canevari
I worked with Bill in the early 70's. When I read Candy Jones post the other day about the kind words for Bill I had to put my two cents in too. He was a great guy and demonstrated tremendous patience. When I was a rookie on the road, Bobby Jennings and I decided to pull a trick on our roommate. Our roommate "Dave" was a squeamish type, and we put a lobster tail shell in his bed one night. Dave had been in the bar, and so was not completely lucid when he went to bed. When his foot touched the lobster tail he bolted from the room screaming, I remember Bill reacting to someone in the Derby family being in distress, came running across the courtyard scaling a four foot hedge to determine what was going on. He quickly brought Dave under control, and when he found out what happened, just gave Bobby and me that cock-eyed look of his.
I really got to know Bill better during the summer of 1971 when I worked in the warehouse building tracks. I did not have the carpenter skills of a Mike Gammon or Larry Smith so Gil put me with Bill who was making the "new" skate bags, and making the rail padding. Bill had designed the skate bag and using his pattern I would mark the material and cut it out. I think Mo O'Brien was supposed to do the sewing but something happened and Bill ended up sewing them all. Fortunately, I put the stop and start marks in the right place and Bill did a great job of sewing. I still had my old skate bag up until a couple of years ago when I gave it away. I still have one of the laundry bags he made out of the same material.
Bill always looked out for everyone. Whether on the track or off. Sitting down with him and some of the veteran skaters and hearing about the good ol' days was great. He had a keen sense of everything that was going on around him and I think that is why he had the reputation of having "eyes" in the back of his head. He was a pretty tough cookie too. I remember a game I was announcing at the Cow Palace and there was a lot of action at one end of the track, when a fan jumped on the track at the other end. I "identified" the intruder on the PA and Bill turned around and laid him out -- then the gals kicked the crap out of him.
Another incident 30+ years has taken all the details from my memory, but I do remember when he ran into a horse with his car. Broke the windshield, and had horse hairs stuck in the cracked glass. Everyone got a laugh out of those horsehairs. I forgot where on the road we were when that happened.
I just love these forums. Brings back such great memories of my days in Derby and the great people I worked with and Bill was one of the best.
James Hull
How nice to see that so many still remember how good a referee Bill was. I think that Joe Canevari probably knows him the best as they both came out of New York. Bill started working for Derby when he was 15 or 16, but not in any capacity of Derby, but in the "helping here - helping there" portion. One night they were missing a referee and Tony who was the "boss" of all things important to get ready for the actual game came to Bill and told him he was going to referee that evening. That was the beginning of many good years with Derby.
Someone mentioned Jimmy Pierce - another referee, indeed Jimmy was a good ref and he and Bill worked very well together, they were a good team. He also was protective of the skaters, Jimmy also worked the track and in fact he drove the truck that got the track to the building where derby was being held. There was another very great ref in earlier years his name was Monk Moyer, if I am not mistaken Monk had worked as a ref with the Harlem Globe Trotters. Bill worked many games with him, and indeed it was done very professionally. Another gentleman that we lost a few years ago was also a referee, Ed Potter. Bill trained him as a referee and he also took the track on most occasions on the road. One of the first refs that Bill worked with was Phil Kadubeck.....Phil and Bill to me looked like brothers, they both wore glasses, whereas Bill was extremely thin, Phil was of a larger build and that was they way I could always distinguish was breaking up a fight. Phil left the Derby early as he was working on his degree to be a probation officer, which he was a very successfully. We lost Phil a few years ago also. He broke in Hugh Kendall as a referee when he was a skinny little kid, and Hugh is still working at it when needed along with Terry Lyons. There are now three referees used in a game, this was something that was started after Jerry Seltzer shut down Roller Derby.
Thank you Joe and Candy for remembering how great Bill was both off and on the track. I know I am biased, but I really don't think anyone had his "pizzazz" on the oval.
Dee Morrissey