06/04/2026
While many Rockwall High School football teams have earned honors and accolades, the 1933 and 1963 squads secured particularly distinguished places in school history.
The 1933 Yellowjackets, a Class B Eleven team, captured the Regional Championship—the highest level of postseason advancement available at the time. Under head coach J.A. Wilkerson, the team won ten of eleven regular-season games, suffering its only defeat against Sunset High School, a larger Class A school from Dallas. The Yellowjackets also claimed their third consecutive bi-district title with a 35–0 victory over Clarksville. On December 13, 1933, they traveled to Vernon, Texas, where they defeated Crowell 34–6 to secure the Class B Eleven Regional Championship and conclude one of the most successful seasons in school history.
Thirty years later, the 1963 Yellowjackets would surpass that achievement by advancing to the AA State Championship game against John Foster Dulles High School.
Led by head coach Jim Hess and assistants Jerry Shaffer, Clyde Alexander, and Hobart Wisdom, the 1963 squad finished the regular season with a single loss—to Lake Highlands. The teams met again for the bi-district championship on November 23, one day after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas. Amid a somber atmosphere across Texas, Rockwall responded with a decisive 40–0 victory. The Yellowjackets then defeated Jacksboro 26–6 to claim the regional title and advance farther in the state playoffs than any previous Rockwall team.
On December 7, Rockwall defeated Paul Pewitt 22–6 to reach the semifinals. A week later, the Yellowjackets earned a berth in the state championship game with a 35–7 victory over Dalhart at Vernon City Stadium. The championship game at Baylor Stadium was played in freezing rain and bitter cold. Trailing 6–0 with less than a minute remaining, Rockwall scored to tie the game. Moments later, kicker Jackie Anderson converted the extra point, giving the Yellowjackets a dramatic 7–6 victory and securing the 1963 AA State Championship.
Although less remembered for their accomplishments on the field, the 1940s team pictured here is notable for the future achievements of several players. Derwood Wimpee, No. 48, later served as Rockwall County Judge, while Ralph Hall, No. 46, represented Rockwall at the local, state, and national levels of government, including service in the United States Congress.
