Ann Calvello 1929-2006

SHE WAS, simply, the best villain there ever was in sport. She was the Meanest Mama on Skates and the Queen of the Penalty Box--and proud of it. She was also a terrific athlete, but she knew how to entertain far better than any of the jerks today who prance about in the end zone. Nobody in any sport knew how to wear a uniform so well as she did, topping off her rakish ensemble with garishly dyed hair (green for St. Paddy's, pink, purple, maybe some polka dots or stars). Whatever. Ann Calvello was the whole package.

Calvello, who died last week at 76, started in roller derby in 1948. For several years she was the star of the Bay Bombers, but then she "went red shirt," over to whoever the Bombers' main opposition was on a given night, and there she thrived as a baddie. Her classic duels with the winsome Blonde Bomber, Joanie Weston, were the best Good vs. Evil confrontations this side of Snow White and the Wicked Stepmother. Off the track, though, Ann was sweet and thoughtful and full of fun. The license plate on her '74 Lincoln was LOVER. A 2001 documentary on Calvello helped spark renewed interest in women's derby and remade her as a cult figure for young women. In Texas rollergirls now play for the Calvello Cup. If she'd played an uptown sport, Ann Calvello would be in the company of Babe Didrickson, Chris Evert and Peggy Fleming. As it is, she'll just have to be remembered as an absolute original.