Bob Hammond, who served as Adelaide's first chairman, passed away at the end of May. Hammond, 78, was suffering from Parkinson's disease. Craig Hammond, his son, said his father had lived a rich and full life and the family was grateful for the support they had received since his father's health began failing in recent months.
Hammond's football journey began as a player for North Adelaide in the SANFL where he played 234 games 1980 to 1973. He crossed to Norwood as captain-coach for a further 14 games in 1974. He was a member of three SANFL premiership teams with North Adelaide, the first when he was just 18 years old. Upon retirement, he became coach of Norwood and led them to premiership wins 1975 and 1978. He later briefly coached the Sydney Swans in 1984 and in 1983 coached South Australia to a historic first-ever win over archrival Victoria.
From 1991 to 2000, Hammond served as the chairman of the Adelaide Crows, during which time they won consecutive premierships in 1997 and 1998. He also served as an AFL commissioner from 2001 to 2011.
In 2001 he was named as a back pocket in North Adelaide's official Team of the Century, then inducted into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2002, followed by the AFL Hall of Fame in 2015. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in June 2003. Other honors are: player life member of the SANFL, life member of North Adelaide, life member of Norwood, life member of the AFL, Adelaide Crows Hall of Fame.
AFL Chairman Richard Goyder said Hammond’s exalted position as a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame only partly explained his massive contribution to the strength of Australian football, "... just 16 administrators have been honored as a member of the Hall of Fame for their contribution ... Bob served ... as an esteemed coach and club administrator, before taking on the task of building the overall strength of our sport as a Commissioner ... He had the ability to look at what was good for the whole of the game and to drive towards those outcomes ... we are grateful for what Bob has given us across his lifetime in football."
Source: theage.com.au
Article last changed on Monday, June 08, 2020 - 4:58 PM EDT
