Kim C. Hammond | |
|---|---|
 Judge Kim Hammond | |
| Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Florida | |
| In office 1979–2010 | |
| Appointed by | GovernorBob Graham |
| Preceded by | Mel Orfinger |
| Succeeded by | Raul Zambrano |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1944-10-12)October 12, 1944 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | June 16, 2017(2017-06-16) (aged 72) |
| Education | Florida State University(BS)(JD) |
| No. 15 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Melbourne (Melbourne, Florida) | ||||||||||
| College | Florida State (1964–1967) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1968: 6th round, 142nd overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Kim Crane Hammond (October 12, 1944 – July 16, 2017) was an Americanjudge and professionalfootball player. He played as aquarterback in theAmerican Football League (AFL). He playedcollege football for theFlorida State Seminoles, quarterbacking the team's first victory over rivalFlorida inGainesville, 21–16, and was selected by theMiami Dolphins in the sixth round of the1968 NFL draft. After his football career, he served as a judge inFlagler County, Florida.
Hammond was born in Miami, the younger of two sons born to William and Virginia Hammond. His father worked forPan American Airways as a flight supervisor. The family moved toMelbourne, Florida in 1955.[1] Hammond attendedMelbourne High School where he was an outstanding athlete, lettering in football, basketball and baseball.[1] Hammond was close friends with formerUS Senator andAdministrator of NASABill Nelson, whom he called "Billy".[2] On the baseball diamond, Hammond pitched and Nelson caught. They remained close throughout their lives.[3] Hammond attended FSU on a football scholarship.
After a year as aredshirt, then two as backup toGary Pajcic, Hammond got his firststart in the second game of his senior year againstAlabama when Pajcic was injured. TheCrimson Tide was riding a 21-game winning streak, but Hammond and the Seminoles were ready. FSU had lost in 1965 by the score of 21–0, but instead of being dominated, they embarrassedBear Bryant by scoring more points than Alabama had allowed the entire previous season. The final score was 37-37, but the tie was probably the most impressive game the Seminoles had played. Referring to Hammond, Bryant said, “He picked us apart like he was picking a chicken.”[1]FSU lost its next game toNorth Carolina State 20–10 before winning the remaining 7 regular season games. As a reward for their 7-2-1 season, they were invited to theGator Bowl inJacksonville. Hammond played in the 1967Senior Bowl and was namedMVP. He was a second-teamAll-American quarterback in his senior year and finished fifth inHeisman Trophy voting.[4]FSU coaches and players chose Hammond for theBob Crenshaw Award in 1967.[1] The Florida State University Hall of Fame inducted him in 1978.
In 1997, Hammond was inducted into the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame for his performance in the 1967 postseason game againstPenn State.[5] The Nittany Lions were ranked 10th nationally under second year coachJoe Paterno, and favored by twotouchdowns over the upstart Noles. Down 17–0 at halftime, the Seminole defense shut down their opponents and Hammond threw for 362 yards and one touchdown and ran for another as FSU scored 17 unanswered points for a tie. Hammond was named MVP for the game.[1]
Hammond was invited to play in the 1968Senior Bowl where he earned theMost Valuable Player honor.[1]
A 6th round selection (142nd overall pick) of the1968 Common draft, Hammond played two seasons in theAmerican Football League, for theMiami Dolphins and theBoston Patriots, respectively, in 1968 and 1969. Hammond played in six games in his short professional career, completing 15 of 32 passes for 147 total yards, no touchdowns, and twointerceptions. He also scored two points on aconversion. Hammond was also on the roster of theWorld Football League'sJacksonville Sharks in 1974.[6] Hammond did not attempt a pass for the Sharks, and he was sacked twice for a net loss of 15 yards.[6]
Hammond graduated from FSU with a bachelor's degree in Business Management and immediately enrolled in the FSU College of Law. However, his college deferral had expired, so he chose to join theFlorida National Guard rather than serve a year of active military duty in theUnited States Army Reserve. During the football off-season, he attended classes in 1968 and 1969 with tuition paid from his pro football earnings. Following the 1970 season he retired from football to finish law school. After graduating from law school in 1972 and passing the Florida Bar (number 151399),[7] he and his wife moved to Daytona Beach where he joined the law office ofGreen and Strasser. During his six years of part-time service in the National Guard was aMilitary Police officer before his service ended in 1973.[3] A few years later he became a principal in the law firm,Green, Strasser and Hammond.[1]
After seven years inprivate practice he had distinguished himself such that GovernorBob Graham appointed him Circuit Judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit.[1] At 35, he was one of the youngest judges in Florida.[3] The Seventh Circuit includesPutnam,St. Johns,Volusia andFlagler Counties. In 1980, the population of Putnam and St. Johns counties was about 50K each, with Volusia at 250K. Tiny Flagler county was about 10K, so there was only one judge assigned there. When Judge Melvin Orfinger was appointed to theFlorida Fifth District Court of Appeal, Hammond requested the Flagler position.[2] As such, he was responsible for ALL circuit court cases in Flagler includingCriminal law,Civil law andFamily law; sometimes all in one day.[2]
In spite of the challenges, he served as an exemplary judge for 31 years. He helped establish the Flagler County's firstdrug court[2] and was the Administrative Judge for Flagler County.[1][3][2]His fellow judges elected him Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit.[1][3][2]TheFlorida Judicial College is a program required for new Florida judges taught by the state's most experienced appellate and trial court judges. Judge Hammond was a frequent program instructor for many years.[1][3][2]TheFlorida Conference of Circuit Judges elected Judge Hammond as a chairman.[1][3][2]
Judge Hammond was highly respected by the community, law enforcement, courthouse staff and fellow judges. He had a calm demeanor and the manners of a true Southern gentleman.[3] He would defuse tension with tactful humor[3] and was "always willing to say hi, shake hands and talk to people," according to the Flagler Director of Courts.[2] “He is what a judge is meant to be,” was the comment of a veteran Flagler Beach Police detective.[2] The mayor of Palm Coast referred to him as a “gentle giant”.[2]He was known as "respectful", "fair", "honest", "thorough" and "decent" to litigants and attorneys.[2][3]
Upon his retirement in 2011, Chief Judge Raul A. Zambrano stated, “Judge Hammond was a beloved judge in the Seventh Judicial Circuit. He was the ultimate statesman and was revered by his colleagues on the bench. He will be missed – but will always be remembered as a true Seminole.”[2]
Due to his Scottish heritage, Hammond learned to play thebagpipes. He practiced and played often, especially when longtime employees retired. For their final departure, Hammond would greet them at their desk, bagpipes in hand, and “pipe them out” of the building. The sound ofScotland the Brave was often heard in the halls of the courthouse, a unique tradition.[3]
Most of Judge Hammond's career was spent at theOld Flagler County Courthouse, a two-story red brick structure built in 1924. A three-story addition was attached at the rear in 1985, but the main building did not have the technological capacity for the modern legal system. Judge Hammond was instrumental in getting the modern courthouse constructed, and the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center inBunnell is named in his honor.[8] It was completed and opened in 2007 and is situated adjacent to the new Flagler Government Services Building.[8]
Hammond remained a diehard FSU fan throughout his life, serving on the board of theSeminole Boosters and the FSU Alumni Association.[1]During his time in private practice, he was active in the Daytona Beach Rotary Club, United Way, Boy Scouts and theDaytona Beach Community College Foundation.[1][2] He and his family attended the First Presbyterian Church of Daytona Beach where he was a Deacon and Elder.[2] After becoming a judge, Hammond was also on the board ofFlorida Special Olympics, was Chairman of Volusia/Flagler Easter Seals and coached football and baseball in youth leagues.[1]
Hammond met his future wife at FSU and married the former Jan Dunn in 1968 atDaytona Beach.[1] The couple raised three children: Paige, Todd and Amanda. They also had eight grandchildren.[1] He especially enjoyed family and their trips to theBlue Ridge Mountains inNorth Carolina.[1]
Judge Hammond died at age 72, just short of his golden wedding anniversary with Jan. For several years he had suffered from diabetes and the aftereffects from his years playing football.[2]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)