Roger Love
Roger Love, a Commerce athlete extraordinare, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Ga. from complications due to a heart attack.
He played football, basketball, and ran track for the Tigers for four seasons from 1960-63.
He was one of the finest, and most gifted athletes with God given talent to ever walk the halls of CHS. His athletic prowess is legendary in Commerce, Ga. especially to those who had the distinct pleasure of seeing him don the gold and black in whatever sport he was participating.
His exceptional speed in the 100 yard dash (10.2) was remarkable. He won many a high school race at the track meets in which he participated. As a sophomore, he once …….cleared the six foot mark in the High Jump using the Western Roll technique when he stood only 5’10” tall. Because of his outstanding leaping ability, he also was great in the Broad Jump as it was called back in the 1960’s at which he later won the Region 4A first place medal with a leap of over 21 feet.
As a basketball player, it was his rebounding and leaping ability that caught everyone’s eye, as they watched him maneuver up and down the court.
However, it was in football that everyone stood aghast at what he could do on the gridiron. In 1961 as a junior, he helped lead the Tigers to their first region title in upsetting an undefeated Toccoa team by a score of (19-6) in a region playoff game at Stephens County High School. Commerce ended up with a 9-3 season mark in 1961 after later losing in the semi-final game to eventual state champion Carrollton.
His bare-footed punting technique is legendary in Commerce football annals. While standing near the end line of his own end zone and the Tigers in precarious field position during the region championship game with Toccoa in 1961, he booted a punt of about 60 yards to get Commerce out of severe field position while the game was still in doubt. It was one of his legendary rocket punts that soared high and long.
He had numerous punts of over 50 and 60 yards during his junior and senior seasons.
Roger Love had many long TD runs from scrimmage as well as long punt returns for touchdown for the Commerce Tigers. His longest TD run was an 88-yarder versus Jefferson in 1962. On this jaunt, he sped down the sidelines like Secretariat in the 1973 Belmont Stakes and when he crossed the goal line, there was no one within 30 yards of him. It was spectacular and a common occurrence during his career.
He scored from 82 yards out against Monroe Area in 1962 and had a 75-yarder vs. South Hall in 1961 as well as many others. Defenses that saw the handoff to Roger Love on a dive play or on a wingback reverse had to have put them in disarray.
In Roger Love’s three year rushing career at Commerce, he had a total of 1741 yards and led the Tigers in points scored in 1961 with 102 and in 1962 with a total of 57.
Not only was his blazing speed evident when others watched him play the game of football, but his fierce toughness and competitiveness was also apparent to all. He ran over many an opponent, as he carried the pigskin for Commerce and numerous ones of these opposing players were much larger than him. On the halfback dive play, he also ran up the back of Tiger offensive linemen who had not performed very well on a block.
No one wanted to be hit with a block or tackled head on by “Goldie” (a blonde) as he was called. These were crushing blows. He hit with a ferocity that was rarely equaled by most in these parts of the state during his era.
There are numerous stories about Roger Love on the Commerce Tiger website at
www.commercetigers.com under the heading “Tiger Tales”—The Love Lick,
First Region Championship, 100 Yard Punt .
He served his country during the Viet Nam War with honor and distinction and was decorated or heroism when he helped save the life of some other soldiers during combat.
In adult life, Roger worked for the Commerce Telephone Company and was a loyal, dedicated and faithful employee there.
He and I as well as many others loved to talk about Commerce football of today as well as bygone years especially those years in which he contributed to Tiger football lore. However, he rarely talked about his accomplishments but more importantly those of the team.
But most of all, he was a great friend and a common man who loved and cared about other people. He always had a smile and positive as well as humorous remarks in our conversations. He will be sorely missed by the Commerce Tiger community, but most of all he will be greatly missed by his family especially his wife Sandra, son Mark and the grandchildren.
Roger Love was not only one of the greatest athletes in Commerce Tiger athletic history but also one of the most caring and humble men I have ever known.
Jeff Prickett
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I’m sorry to hear about the passing of Roger Love. I clearly remember playing against him, especially the opening game of the 1962 season. I played for Stephens County and had the unenviable task of trying to catch and tackle Roger. We lost a tough fought 20 – 14 game and I never forgot the sight of seeing him flying around the corner with the ball. He was one of the best players I ever played against.