Extreme Versatility

SMU’s Gary Hammond Did It All, ‘Just Name It’

ADDISON, Tex. – It’s rare when a college football player is assigned a new position three years in a row, and if that player receives all-conference recognition each of those years? Well, now you’re just talkin’ crazy.
But Gary Hammond, SMU’s multipurpose workhorse from 1969-71, did just that, playing receiver, running back and quarterback over three successive seasons on the Hilltop.
A first-team All-Southwest Conference pick his first two years, Hammond was a Dallas Morning News’ All-SWC choice all three years and it’s SWC Offensive Player of the Year in ‘71.

Hammond led SMU in a different a statistical category each year: receiving in ’69 (722 yards), rushing in ’70 (891 yards) and passing in ’71 (787 yards). As a junior, Hammond led SMU in receiving and rushing, a feat matched by one Mustang since – All-SWC running back Alvin Maxson, in ’71.

Today, Hammond is a senior vice-president for Sabre Realty in Addison, Tex. He says he "absolutely" made the right choice in choosing SMU over Texas and Texas A&M.

“Gary Hammond” is also the answer to the trivia question, “Who replaced SMU greats Jerry LeVias and Chuck Hixson when their college careers were over?”

Now a senior vice president for Sabre Reality in Addison, Hammond said this week he’d trade the stats and trivia for a few more Ws. The Mustangs finished 12-20 during Hammond’s tenure, with a high mark of 5-6 in ’70.

Hammond played every sport in high school on the advice of his father. “I was really ready to do about anything. And [SMU coach Hayden Fry] allowed me to do that.” … “I loved Hayden. He was an offensive genius, I thought.”

The “M” In SMU

“Gary was an extremely gifted athlete, an even better teammate, and most likely the most versatile football player in SMU history,” said Hixson, the Mustangs’ all-time career passing leader, via e-mail.

A Veer-option quarterback out of Port Arthur Jefferson High, Hammond was one of the top signal-callers in Texas in ’68, along with Abilene Cooper’s Jack Mildren.

The highly-recruited Hammond chose SMU over Texas and Texas A&M for a reason having nothing to do with football: he was a Methodist.

SMU assistant Dave Smith sensed that angle, talking up Hammond’s pastor on recruiting visits to Port Arthur.

“There might be six football coaches from UT down there,” Hammond said, “and there’s my little pastor and Dave Smith there. It was kind of cute the way the thing happened.”

By phone from Granbury, Tex., Smith said Hammond reminded him of 60s Texas Longhorn star Bill Bradley, whom he’d also recruited. “Bill Bradley and Gary Hammond were the kind of athletes who could do anything you asked them to. If you wanted them to throw a left-handed running pass, they could do it. Just name it.”

When Hammond reported to SMU’s freshmen Colts in ’68, the sophomore Hixson was preparing for his first varsity season. Hammond, who planned on playing quarterback his entire career at SMU, watched closely for who’d be named starter for the Mustangs’ opener at Auburn.

Hixson got the nod over Gary Carter and Wayne Delamater. “That first game,” Hammond said, “[Hixson] lit it up with Jerry LeVias. … He threw for a zillion yards and ended up that year leading the nation in passing.”

SMU had its quarterback. “And there I was,” Hammond said.

Still, Hammond began next spring as a quarterback – at first. “Hayden just picked me up one day and walked me out and plunked me down at wideout and said, ‘You’re going to be a wide receiver.’”

With All-American LeVias gone, Hammond became Hixson’s go-to guy for the next two seasons, leading the SWC in receptions in ’69 and ‘70, with 51 and 50 catches, respectively.

Hixson especially remembers a catch Hammond made at Rice in ‘69 on a deep sideline route. Before Hammond’s cut, Hixson delivered the ball – about three feet over Hammond’s head.

“In one fluid motion,” Hixson recalled, “Gary leaped in the air, speared the ball with the fingertips of his right hand and tip-toed the boundary upon landing.”

“Chuck threw a pretty ball,” Hammond said. “There are certain people who can throw a ball that’s easier to catch than others. … It’s a tight spiral, nose up.”

‘Nothing But Steak’

Fry moved Hammond to running back before the ’70 season, a position he hadn’t played since seventh grade, telling him, “We’ve got to get you the ball more.”

“I was eating nothing but steak that summer,” Hammond said, “trying to put on weight. I think I came in at 197 [pounds] and I ended up the season about 182. They just beat it off of me.”

And, again, Hammond made first-team all-SWC.

A hip-pointer against Rice that year caused him to miss the game at Texas Tech – save for one play.

“We were getting beat and I was standing on the sidelines and Hayden looked at me and said, “Can you go?” I said, “Hey, coach, I’ll do whatever I can do.” A couple of painkiller shots later, Hammond went in with instructions to line up at receiver - for the first time all year - and run a go route. Things didn’t feel right as he took the field and when the ball was snapped he knew why.

“I took off running, man,” Hammond said, “and I started hurting like somebody was sticking a knife in my side. I pulled up alongside the cornerback and the cornerback bumped me … and I went rolling out of bounds screaming, thinking I had died.” Hammond was done and Tech prevailed, 14-10.

The next week, at home against Texas A&M, Hammond responded with his career-high rushing day, 190 yards on 36 carries, in a 6-3 SMU win. “I wish you could have seen me that game,” Hammond said. “I had the neck brace on. I had these [huge] pads on my hips. I looked like a running mummy.”

“Hayden just kept shoveling me the ball. It was quite a deal.”

The Flying ‘Bone & Other Memories

Hammond moved to quarterback his senior year, stepping into the void left by Hixson’s departure. Fry developed a new offense just for Hammond, The Flying Wishbone - an option offense, with no tight end, with the added choice of a quick slant pass.

SMU premiered it at OU in the ’71 opener in a game featuring Hammond versus Mildren, a match-up Texas high school fans had always wanted.

“We went up there and got trounced,” Hammond said of the Sooners’ 30-0 win. “We never got our Flying Wishbone to get off the ground.”

SMU went back to a pro-type offense a couple of games later.

In ’69, SMU hosted Texas Tech in Dallas. “I’m the reason we lost the game,” Hammond said.

The Mustangs were moving when Hammond fumbled after being knocked out on a close-line tackle. He was still out cold when television came back from commercial break. “I laid there for probably six minutes, maybe seven, right in the middle of the Cotton Bowl,” he said. Tech won, 27-24.

Texas was coming off back-to-back national championships when it met 3-3 SMU in Dallas in ‘71. “I thought we beat Texas my senior year,” Hammond said. Two controversial plays, he said, gave the Longhorns the 18-14 win.

First, Texas quarterback Donnie Wigginton appeared stopped on a fourth-and-inches push at SMU’s goal line late in the game but a touchdown was called. And, Hammond said, on an earlier fourth-and-goal dive by the Mustangs’ Dennis Howell, tape confirmed he scored but the ball went to Texas.

“That was the most disappointing game that I think I ever played [at SMU],” Hammond said.

Gary Hammond led the SWC in receptions two years in a row before moving to quarterback in '71. Photo Credit: SMU Heritage Hall

All-Star MVP

Hammond played in three college all-star games after SMU, including the East-West Shrine Game in San Francisco, where Fry was as his coach. Hammond rotated with two other quarterbacks but Fry left Hammond in at wideout when he wasn’t under center.

“So I ended up catching a bunch of balls and also threw a bunch of passes,” Hammond said.

Hammond was voted MVP of the game and New York Jets Coach Weeb Ewbank was watching. The Jets drafted Hammond in the third round.

Having torn his right quad muscle in another all-star game, and unable to run much, Hammond still opened camp as a quarterback, “with a red jersey just like [Jets starter Joe Namath].”

Namath, the Super Bowl mega-hero from three years prior, was holding out for a better contract and not in camp. Hammond was doing well in throwing drills and gaining confidence. That only grew when a rusty Namath arrived a week or so later.

“He was throwing this floppy ball that would bounce about every fifth time,” Hammond said. “Dad-gum,” Hammond thought, “Joe Namath’s the best quarterback in the world. Maybe I can do this.”

Then, as with Hixson’s coming-out at Auburn, reality set in. Namath started “throwing b-b's” again and, as preseason approached, Ewbank moved Hammond to wideout.

After an exhibition game knee injury, Hammond tried to come back too soon. In warm-ups before a preseason meeting with Terry Bradshaw and Pittsburgh, Hammond’s knee popped then stuck in place. Hammond had surgery two days later and spent most of his rookie season on injured reserve.

The next year, before the final preseason game, the St. Louis Cardinals surprised Ewbank and the Jets by claiming Hammond off waivers at a time when most teams’ lineups are set.

Cardinals coach Don Coryell had also noticed Hammond in a college all-star game and liked his versatility. Hammond backed up All-Pro receiver Mel Gray and also played defensive back and returned punts in four years with the Cards.

St. Louis won division titles in ’74 and ’75.

A nice memory for Hammond is the 81-yard pass he threw to Jackie Smith against Dallas at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium in ’74. On the play, Hammond caught a lateral pass from Jim Hart before heaving it to Smith.

Concussions and other injuries forced Hammond’s retirement after the ’76 season.

Pony Ties

Hammond graduated SMU with a business degree in ’72. He worked in banking during pro football off-seasons, under the tutelage of SMU letterman Darrell Lafitte (1951-53), with an eye toward loan officer when he retired from the NFL.

Upon retirement, Hammond was a loan officer at North Dallas Bank for two years before joining Chairman Bob Folsom at Sabre Realty - the same Folsom who starred with Doak Walker at SMU in the late 40s. Hammond’s been there ever since.

“Bob Folsom became like an uncle, a father-figure to me,” Hammond said.

What made SMU football special for Hammond? “There’s a lot of history at SMU,” he said. “I knew about it. I knew who Doak Walker was. I knew who Kyle Rote was. I knew who Don Meredith was.”

What about being an underdog to bigger schools? “I never thought about being an underdog,” said Hammond. “When I came to SMU, there was no doubt we could win. We could beat Texas. I mean, we lined up when we were freshmen and went down there and put it on the Shorthorns.”

“This group of guys that came in there [to SMU], we weren’t thinking we were underdogs.”

Hammond said some say he should have gone to Texas and been on a national championship team. “[But] had I not played three positions at SMU, would I have been drafted in the third round to play in the pros?” he asked. “I don’t know.”

Did he make the right decision? “Oh, absolutely,” Hammond said, pointing to a picture of his wife Beverly, whom he met at SMU. “That’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

The former Beverly Kuck was SMU’s Homecoming Queen in ’71. “That’s the utopia that I was living in those days,” Hammond said. “I was a football player and she was the Homecoming Queen.”

Yes, Gary, you were indeed a football player.

Notes:
*Hammond received the Kern Tips Award in ’71, denoting the SWC’s most outstanding senior.
*Only three SMU players have been East-West Shrine MVPs since the award’s inception in ’45: Kyle Rote, Don Meredith and Hammond.
*Before Hammond, the last SMU player to lead the team in rushing and receiving in a single season was Billy Gannon in ’61.
*Hammond is enshrined in Port Arthur’s Museum of the Gulf Coast, along with SMU greats Louie Kelcher, Jerry LeVias and Jerry Ball.
*Hammond and his wife have three daughters and six grandchildren.

*Jay Black of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco, Tex., and Gerry York of SMU’s Heritage Hall contributed to this report.