Aycock Alumni Community Association Inc.
Rockdale, Texas
Rockdale, Texas
Thanks to the Rockdale Reporter, Mike Brown, Editor for permission to use these articles and photos
Rockdale Reporter Established 1893
Rockdale Reporter Established 1893
Rockdale Sports Hall of Honor
Aycock Inductees
Aycock Inductees
2009 Inductees:
The following is from the Rockdale Reporter, September 24, 2009
Fannie Lovelady Spain
Aycock High School standout athlete Fannie Lovelady almost certainly logged an accomplishment in her senior year of 1956 that will never be repeated.
She competed in the state meet in discus and solo singing.
The multi-talented Lovelady was a starter on the almost unbeatable Tigerette basketball teams of the mid-1950s and was one of the top two scorers, perfecting a virtually indefensible hook shot.
In her senior year the Tigerettes were undefeated, going a perfect 21-0 in the regular season.
There was no advancement past district for Aycock girls in that era so the Tigerettes hosted their own “state tourney,” a post-season event that included two other undefeated teams. Aycock won the tourney too.
Lovelady was also Aycock’s outstanding discus specialist, breezing to easy wins at district and regional and qualifying for the state meet at Prairie View A&M University.
But she had also qualified for state in solo singing competition, which was held at the same time. Lovelady tried to dash over to the discus ring to compete but did not have time to warm up and did not place.
“I was literally changing into my track uniform as I was running,” she recalled.
But she still had a gold medal day. Lovelady had won the state competition in solo singing.
Aycock’s boys teams were state champs in football and basketball that year and no pre-game rally was complete without Lovelady’s contributions to school spirit.
Before one game she even composed, and read, poems dedicated to Coach Ralph Johnson and members of the football team.
Lovelady went on to earn a doctorate and had a long and honored career in education in Texas and other states.
2010 Inductees
The following is from the Rockdale Reporter, October 21, 2010
Susie Sansom-Piper
Aycock High School, and all that its students and athletes accomplished, will live forever in no small part because of the remarkable life’s work of Susie Sansom-Piper.
The 1937 AHS salutatorian, Mrs. Piper taught for 40 years, 23-1/2 of those at Aycock. She was Aycock’s last principal before desegregation in 1966. For a half century she has written, recalled and remembered much of the school’s history, including its athletic history. She has also documented the lives of scores of AHS graduate s after they left Rockdale.
At the time of her induction (2010) she had written 33 consecutive Black History Month series for The Rockdale Reporter, including “Ebony Etchings” (28 years), “The Other Side of the Tracks”, “Way Back When”, “Aycock Nostalgia” and “Tied to Mama’s Apron Strings.”
Mrs. Piper compiled the book “Purple Tiger,” the history of Aycock High School and the most valuable resource to research the school’s history.
She has visited many schools, government organizations and nursing homes to present programs ba sed on “Way Back When,”
“I retired from the classroom to go to work on something else,” she said.
The Rockdale community is fortunate she did exactly that.
Bob Roberson
Bob Roberson a 1956 graduate of Aycock High School, was captain of the 1955 Tiger football team that won state, his third consecutive year to be named team captain.
He was also a member of the 1955-56 state champion Aycock basketball team and started three years in basketball.
Roberson started four years in football and three in basketball. As a freshman and senior he played offense and defensive end and led the team in receiving. As a junior and senior he was a running back-defensive back and led the team in interceptions both years.
As a senior in a 52-0 win over Rosebud he scored five touchdowns of more than 40 yards and also had an interception. Roberson had two fourth quarter interceptions against West in the state championship game to stop drives.
He logged 25 TDs in his junior and senior years.
In basketball, Roberson played point guard and shooting guard and averaged 10 point s per game.
The 1954-55 team won over 40 games and the 1955-56 state champs were 30-1.
Sammie Moore
A multi-sport athlete at Aycock High School in the late 1940s, Sammie Moore was a 1949 AHS graduate.
He quarterbacked a Tiger football team that won four straight district titles. Moore was also punter and place kicker for the team.
Moore played forward on Aycock basketball squads that also won four straight district titles and went on to make consecutive appearances at the state tourney in 1947, 1948 and 1949. The fastest man on the AHS track team, he helped the Tigers win four district titles and two state relay event championships.
In baseball he could play every position on the team and earned a major league tryout with the St.Louis Cardinals in 1950. After leaving Rockdale, he lived in Tucson, AZ and died there in 2004.
Tom Black
Tom Black, a 1954 graduate of Aycock High School, was a standout running back and place kicker on one of the Tigers’ great “might have been” teams. The 1953 Tigers had 10 key players, including Black, go down to injuries during the middle of the season.
In seven games Black scored 15 touchdowns and kicked two dozen PATs.
He also starred as a sophomore and junior on coach Ralph Johnson’s teams but was plagued by injuries.
Black missed the final part of his junior season, after leading AHS on offense and defense, after being injured in a car wreck.
The following is from the Rockdale Reporter, September 24, 2009
Fannie Lovelady Spain
Aycock High School standout athlete Fannie Lovelady almost certainly logged an accomplishment in her senior year of 1956 that will never be repeated.
She competed in the state meet in discus and solo singing.
The multi-talented Lovelady was a starter on the almost unbeatable Tigerette basketball teams of the mid-1950s and was one of the top two scorers, perfecting a virtually indefensible hook shot.
In her senior year the Tigerettes were undefeated, going a perfect 21-0 in the regular season.
There was no advancement past district for Aycock girls in that era so the Tigerettes hosted their own “state tourney,” a post-season event that included two other undefeated teams. Aycock won the tourney too.
Lovelady was also Aycock’s outstanding discus specialist, breezing to easy wins at district and regional and qualifying for the state meet at Prairie View A&M University.
But she had also qualified for state in solo singing competition, which was held at the same time. Lovelady tried to dash over to the discus ring to compete but did not have time to warm up and did not place.
“I was literally changing into my track uniform as I was running,” she recalled.
But she still had a gold medal day. Lovelady had won the state competition in solo singing.
Aycock’s boys teams were state champs in football and basketball that year and no pre-game rally was complete without Lovelady’s contributions to school spirit.
Before one game she even composed, and read, poems dedicated to Coach Ralph Johnson and members of the football team.
Lovelady went on to earn a doctorate and had a long and honored career in education in Texas and other states.
2010 Inductees
The following is from the Rockdale Reporter, October 21, 2010
Susie Sansom-Piper
Aycock High School, and all that its students and athletes accomplished, will live forever in no small part because of the remarkable life’s work of Susie Sansom-Piper.
The 1937 AHS salutatorian, Mrs. Piper taught for 40 years, 23-1/2 of those at Aycock. She was Aycock’s last principal before desegregation in 1966. For a half century she has written, recalled and remembered much of the school’s history, including its athletic history. She has also documented the lives of scores of AHS graduate s after they left Rockdale.
At the time of her induction (2010) she had written 33 consecutive Black History Month series for The Rockdale Reporter, including “Ebony Etchings” (28 years), “The Other Side of the Tracks”, “Way Back When”, “Aycock Nostalgia” and “Tied to Mama’s Apron Strings.”
Mrs. Piper compiled the book “Purple Tiger,” the history of Aycock High School and the most valuable resource to research the school’s history.
She has visited many schools, government organizations and nursing homes to present programs ba sed on “Way Back When,”
“I retired from the classroom to go to work on something else,” she said.
The Rockdale community is fortunate she did exactly that.
Bob Roberson
Bob Roberson a 1956 graduate of Aycock High School, was captain of the 1955 Tiger football team that won state, his third consecutive year to be named team captain.
He was also a member of the 1955-56 state champion Aycock basketball team and started three years in basketball.
Roberson started four years in football and three in basketball. As a freshman and senior he played offense and defensive end and led the team in receiving. As a junior and senior he was a running back-defensive back and led the team in interceptions both years.
As a senior in a 52-0 win over Rosebud he scored five touchdowns of more than 40 yards and also had an interception. Roberson had two fourth quarter interceptions against West in the state championship game to stop drives.
He logged 25 TDs in his junior and senior years.
In basketball, Roberson played point guard and shooting guard and averaged 10 point s per game.
The 1954-55 team won over 40 games and the 1955-56 state champs were 30-1.
Sammie Moore
A multi-sport athlete at Aycock High School in the late 1940s, Sammie Moore was a 1949 AHS graduate.
He quarterbacked a Tiger football team that won four straight district titles. Moore was also punter and place kicker for the team.
Moore played forward on Aycock basketball squads that also won four straight district titles and went on to make consecutive appearances at the state tourney in 1947, 1948 and 1949. The fastest man on the AHS track team, he helped the Tigers win four district titles and two state relay event championships.
In baseball he could play every position on the team and earned a major league tryout with the St.Louis Cardinals in 1950. After leaving Rockdale, he lived in Tucson, AZ and died there in 2004.
Tom Black
Tom Black, a 1954 graduate of Aycock High School, was a standout running back and place kicker on one of the Tigers’ great “might have been” teams. The 1953 Tigers had 10 key players, including Black, go down to injuries during the middle of the season.
In seven games Black scored 15 touchdowns and kicked two dozen PATs.
He also starred as a sophomore and junior on coach Ralph Johnson’s teams but was plagued by injuries.
Black missed the final part of his junior season, after leading AHS on offense and defense, after being injured in a car wreck.