Gerry Murray

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Gerry Murray (September 30, 1920 – August 9, 2019) was an American roller derby star known for her glamour and fierce rivalries, especially with Midge "Toughie" Brasuhn. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and raised by her grandmother after her parents split. As a child she played softball and joined the Russell Sporting Goods team, helping them win a state championship. She graduated from North High School in 1938.

That same year she tried out for roller derby and began her professional career in Texas. Murray wore jersey number 22 and became captain of the Chicago team in 1947, and later led the New York Chiefs for many years while running their training school. She was one of the first American women to sign endorsement deals and was inducted into the Roller Derby Hall of Fame in 1956.

Over her career she skated for many teams, including the New York Chiefs, Chicago Westerners, San Diego Clippers, San Francisco Bay Bombers, Los Angeles Thunderbirds, Long Beach Falcons, Houston Westerners, New York Braves, Manhattan Chiefs, and Midwest Pioneers. She retired in 1960, then ran two bars and a cattle and horse ranch in California. She returned to skating in 1975 with her son and daughter-in-law on the New York Braves, and joined the reconstituted New York Chiefs in 1977.

Murray married two fellow skaters. Her first husband, Paul Milane, and she had a son named Mike in 1941. After their divorce, she married coach and teammate Gene Gammon, who adopted Mike. Gerry Murray died in Des Moines on August 9, 2019, at the age of 98.