Joe Norton was growing weary. He had given his all through eight and 2/3 innings, recording six strikeouts while surrendering seven hits. But the 6-3 lead he had taken to the bottom of the ninth inning on the afternoon of May 3, 1940, had eroded to 6-5. His opponents sensed an opportunity with tying and winning runs on second and third. The young pitcher faced a crucial decision.
The stakes were very high in this contest to decide the eastern championship of North Carolina high school baseball. Only one Richmond County high school baseball team had reached a state title game before now when the 1924 Rockingham High team lost the championship tilt, 8-0, to Shelby High in Chapel Hill. (The locals returned the deed that autumn, defeating Shelby, 7-0, to claim Richmond County's first state football crown.)
Norton and his mates had competed in title runs since 1938. That team won their conference despite a couple of losses, then walloped Whiteville High, 17-2, in the first playoff round. Bethel Hill High of Person County downed Norton and his Rocket team mates in that eastern final, 3-0, when Bethel's Sam Shotwell held them to four hits.
The 1939 edition of the Rockets appeared set for a deeper championship run with seasoned starters returning. Leon “Whitey” Taylor had starred since '38, sharing pitching rotation assignments with Norton and “Lefty” James. Lefty was an eighth-grade sensation who seemed to possess little fear. Heck, as a seventh grader in 1938, he once limited Aberdeen to two hits in one start, although rules declared James ineligible for conference and championship play due to his youth. Imagine that. But James was not a part of this 1940 squad.
Rain had threatened this game in the first and sixth innings. Norton must have silently chuckled about that as he began measuring his chances against the Dunn Green Wave's next batter, center fielder Suggs. He may have recalled the '38 eastern final against Bethel Hill which was slated for that May 5 at Hamlet's Memorial Park. Rockingham took a 1-0 lead through two innings only to have it all washed out by a storm. The Rockets lost the make-up tilt two days later. Oh what might have been, but for the rain.
Joe Norton had no intention of gambling with the rain clouds - or his tiring arm. He was a fierce competitor, but now was the time to set ego aside. Norton signaled to his catcher, Leon McCaskill, and to head coach Tom Burnette. Bring Whitey Taylor in to finish this, he simply asked. That selfless act paved the way for Richmond County's first high school baseball state championship.
Described as a "husky" young man, Taylor lumbered to the mound from his center field perch. The local writer's narrative — perhaps Billy Whitted — sums the moment. "The tense crowd stood silent as Taylor warmed up ..."
So many of them had followed the high school and American Legion baseball careers of Norton and Taylor. The two had shared mound duties in that 1938 playoff pasting of Whiteville. In '39, these fans must have thrilled as they witnessed Norton and Taylor, along with young Lefty James, mow through an undefeated season only to come up short, 4-1, in the playoff opener against Whiteville.
1939 was surely agonizing for local baseball fans. With the strong bats and steady fielding of “Red” McIntosh, Elwood Gailes, Andy Rohleder, Harry Russell, Preston Oliver and Charlie Meacham — just to name a few — the Rockets averaged 10 runs per game, while allowing just under two, and seemed ticketed for a state title. When that dissipated, hopes turned as many of the "Rocks" joined the American Legion squad that summer. A state Legion championship would send the winner to compete for a national title in California.
Unsurprisingly, this strong squad, under Coach W. L. Haltiwanger, made it to the state title series against the powerful Charlotte Legion post team that had traded the state's championship with Gastonia throughout the '30s. But then fate and, you can bet, some bitterness intervened.
After sound thrashings by Charlotte in games one and two of the best-of-five series, Whitey Taylor developed a sore pitching arm, and Lefty James was hospitalized with a serious ailment. Some discussion ensued about forfeiting the remaining games. The players voted down that proposal, but local Legion officials overruled them, citing Taylor's and James's health.
With Whitey Taylor now warmed and ready in the bottom of the ninth on this May afternoon — his team clinging to a slim lead with a trip to the title game in Chapel Hill hanging in the balance — Rockets players and fans were ready to shuck years of frustration.
Suggs settled into the batter's box for Dunn and listened as the umpire called Taylor's first offering a strike. On the second pitch, Suggs swung and fouled for strike two. The local sportswriter best describes what happened next.
"The wind-up — the pitch — a terrific swing by the batter — the thud of the ball in Leon McCaskill's waiting mitt — and the game was over. Exuberant spectators swarmed from the stands and onto the field, mobbed Taylor and Norton and carried them from the diamond."
Richmond County would be sending a high school back to Chapel Hill for a state championship game for the first time since 1924, and a chance at its first-ever title.
At that time, North Carolina high schools were divided into three classifications — “A,” “B” or 'C' — depending upon student population. Rockingham competed as a “B” school from 1930 until 1943.
Understanding the 1940 Rockingham baseball Rockets begs some closer consideration of their head coach. Still shy of his 25th birthday — close enough to be a virtual older brother to his charges — Tom Burnette was their third coach in as many years. Coach Frank Kubisa had molded a winning squad in 1938, then Coach J. T. Holton guided them through an undefeated 1939 campaign — except for that disappointing playoff loss to Whiteville. It is unclear why those coaches left after singular seasons each; although upon his departure to Plymouth in May 1939, Holton expressed his appreciation to local fans for their support of his football and baseball teams.
Having amassed a stellar playing career at UNC-Chapel Hill, Tom Burnette was hired as athletic director of Rockingham High in May 1939, agreeing to coach football and baseball. He had been the Tar Heels' starting halfback, and filled the punting and place-kicking duties for a team that boasted a 23-4-1 record over his three seasons, including a Southern Conference title. Sports Illustrated even selected the Tarboro native as the best place-kicker in the nation. His 85-yard punt in a 1937 game has stood as a Carolina record for decades. He played professional football during 1938, suiting up for 14 games with the Philadelphia and, later, Pittsburgh teams.
Burnette captained the Heels' 1938 baseball squad after leading the team in batting during 1937 with a fine .345 average. Beginning in 1939, Burnette played professional baseball for several minor league clubs over six seasons, ending in 1947. He batted .321 over that period, though he was never called by a major league team. Burnette left baseball for World War II naval service before resuming his career.
Local sports enthusiasts must have been giddy when Tom Burnette signed on with the Rockets. (He even taught some classes.) His stopover here would be brief, but he made the most of it. The combination of Burnette — with his youth, competitive verve, and leadership skills — and a seasoned crew of athletes hungry for a state championship was a powerful mix. That '40 squad averaged over 12 runs per game while surrendering less than four. It's a wonder they dropped a 7-3 early season contest against Raeford.
Despite powering their way through the regular season slate, Coach Burnette's boys seemed to rely upon seasoning and maturity to claim the title in three single-game playoff matches. Whitey Taylor twirled a complete game in the April 30 opening tilt against Whiteville at a neutral site in Laurinburg. Taylor recorded a "perfect inning" in the second frame, striking out three batters on nine pitches. Whiteville made the Rockets earn it, though, tying the game on a three-run homer in the sixth.
Prevailing over a late Whiteville rally, then grinding through nine innings to the dramatic eastern title finish against Dunn, tells us a lot about Burnette's leadership and his plucky, determined charges. Then came the trip to Chapel Hill for a statewide showdown against the defending champion, Mount Airy's Granite Bears. Indeed, Mount Airy had claimed the state title three times in eight years. The Granite Bears, of note, also had two state football crowns during that time. But they were not counting on the likes of Tom Burnette.
UNC-Chapel Hills's publication, The Daily Tar Heel, was quite familiar with Burnette, and it seemed evident in writer Jerry Stoff's May 11, 1940 account of the previous day's title game.
"Burnette has done all right at Rockingham — a rather small town down around Fayetteville — and he's well liked there just as he was here a few years back."
At first blush, it appeared our locals had quite a hill to climb in Mount Airy's lineup. Starter Ralph Crawford encountered little trouble in dispatching their western title foe, Mount Holly, 7-1. The righty struck out 11 and allowed only two hits. Second baseman Carl Wray had homered twice in the 1939 state title game, with four runs batted in. Pitcher Crawford collected two triples in that game, as well.
Coach Burnette employed his colorful personality in an attempt to supply his team with an edge. "[Y]esterday his boys took the state crown. Tommy really put out for that game," The Daily Tar Heel described. "He had a megaphone at the bench with him to yell out instructions — which he did constantly."
Jerry Stoff's account reveals more about the nature of the games then. "Tom had a scrap with a heckler on the Mt. Airy bench. The kid ... continually got in Tommy's hair and Burnette slapped him once just to settle him down. But that only brought the entire Mt. Airy team into the scrap." The piece notes the incident "was only one of the many arguments and kickbacks coming from the very aggressive Mt. Airy bench."
The first inning required 35 minutes, according to the story, as the respective starters — Joe Norton and Ralph Crawford — never settled in. Crawford walked the first three Rockets on 12 pitches, then a hit, a wild pitch, a stolen base, and an error plated three runs. The usually solid Crawford left before recording an out.
Norton had his own difficulties, lasting only an out and giving up two runs before he and Whitey Taylor traded positions for the remainder of the game. Taylor and the Granite Bears' Fleming dueled scoreless frames until the bottom of the seventh when the Bears took a brief lead. A Rockets rally after two outs in the eighth regained a one-run advantage. Rockingham sealed the title in the ninth on hits by Carlyle Capps, Harry Russell and Joe Norton to make the final score 7-4.
Back at home, Rockingham treated their new champs in style. Jewelry has long been the mark of winning teams from the World Series and Super Bowl, to collegiate champions, and on down to high school state title winners. It was no different for the Rockingham Rockets of 1940. Forty-seven local citizens contributed money, and Helms Jewelers supplied baseball-shaped charms for members of the team, at cost. An early account noted silver, but gold charms — engraved "RHS 1940 Champions" — were ultimately presented.
The Rockingham Hotel, and manager L. A. Harley, treated the town's baseball heroes to a banquet on May 23 with a sumptuous spread of country-style fare. School superintendent L.J. Bell presented the state championship trophy to Coach Burnette and team captain Elwood Gailes. (The hotel was located at the corner of East Washington and Hancock Streets.)
Naturally, there was a strong desire for Tom Burnette to remain at his RHS post, as noted by local publisher Isaac "Ike" London in an interview with The Daily Tar Heel. But the coach had other plans, opting to resume his professional baseball playing career in Martinsville, Virginia. Never called to the majors, he spent most of his career there.
Burnette found popularity in that Virginia community, and success at Martinsville High School after his war service. He coached the football Bulldogs for over a decade, leading them to an undefeated state title season in 1955. But he spent most of his time there as an athletic trainer for the various teams. He died in 1994.
The world was growing much more frightening as May 1940 was a key month in World War II. On the day Rockingham and Mount Airy squared off for the title, Germany invaded four major European nations, and Neville Chamberlain resigned as prime minister of Great Britain, paving the way for Winston Churchill. Days after the team's banquet at the Rockingham Hotel, the massive evacuation of British Army forces from Dunkirk, France began.
N.C. Gov. Clyde Hoey stopped by Fox Drug Store in Rockingham late in April, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited Ellerbe, just up the road, a day later.
The war would eventually involve the Rockets as players went on to serve. Carlyle Capps of the '40 champs, and Andy Rohleder of the '39 squad, would make the supreme sacrifice as Army and Navy pilots. Ironically, Ralph Crawford of Mount Airy, and Capps, who faced each other in the state final, met similar fates only weeks apart in early 1944. Each was killed in mid-air collisions of military aircraft.
If only for a brief moment, a gregarious young collegiate and professional athlete — a gifted leader — joined forces with a collection of talented youth who were hungry to scale the heights, and helped our community forget its cares — and join them at the summit.
