Kim Hammond

Kim Crane Hammond (October 12, 1944 – July 16, 2017) was a judge in Flagler County, Florida and was a quarterback for Florida State University. For Seminole fans, he is best remembered for quarterbacking the team's first victory over rival Florida in Gainesville, 21–16. Hammond died on Sunday, July 16, 2017, after suffering from illnesses for several years.

Early life
Hammond was born in Miami, the younger of two sons born to William and Virginia Hammond. His father worked for Pan American Airways as a flight supervisor. The family moved to Melbourne, Florida in 1955. Hammond attended Melbourne High School where he was an outstanding athlete, lettering in football, basketball and baseball. Hammond was close friends with former US Senator and Administrator of NASA Bill Nelson, whom he called "Billy". On the baseball diamond, Hammond pitched and Nelson caught. They remained close throughout their lives. Hammond attended FSU on a football scholarship.

College football
After a year as a redshirt, then two as backup to Gary Pajcic, Hammond got his first start in the second game of his senior year against Alabama when Pajcic was injured. The Crimson 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 embarrassed Bear 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.” FSU lost its next game to North 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 the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. Hammond played in the 1967 Senior Bowl and was named MVP. He was a second-team All-American quarterback in his senior year and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting. FSU coaches and players chose Hammond for the Bob Crenshaw Award in 1967. The Florida State University Hall of Fame inducted him in 1978.

Gator Bowl
In 1997, Hammond was inducted into the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame for his performance in the 1967 postseason game against Penn State. The Nittany Lions were ranked 10th nationally under second year coach Joe Paterno, and favored by two touchdowns 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.

Senior bowl
Hammond was invited to play in the 1968 Senior Bowl where he earned the Most Valuable Player honor.

Pro football
A 6th round selection (142nd overall pick) of the 1968 Common Draft, Hammond played two seasons in the American Football League, for the Miami Dolphins and the Boston 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 two interceptions. He also scored two points on a conversion. Hammond was also on the roster of the World Football League's Jacksonville Sharks in 1974. Hammond did not attempt a pass for the Sharks, and he was sacked twice for a net loss of 15 yards.

Lawyer
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 the Florida National Guard rather than serve a year of active military duty in the United 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), he and his wife moved to Daytona Beach where he joined the law office of Green and Strasser. During his six years of part-time service in the National Guard was a Military Police officer before his service ended in 1973. A few years later he became a principal in the law firm, Green, Strasser and Hammond.

Judge
After seven years in private practice he had distinguished himself such that Governor Bob Graham appointed him Circuit Judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit. At 35, he was one of the youngest judges in Florida. The Seventh Circuit includes Putnam, St. Johns, Volusia and Flagler Counties. In 1980, the population of Putnam and St. Johns counnties 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 the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal, Hammond requested the Flagler position. As such, he was responsible for ALL circuit court cases in Flagler including Criminal law, Civil law and Family law; sometimes all in one day.

In spite of the challenges, he served as an exemplary judge for 31 years. He helped establish the Flagler County's first drug court and was the Administrative Judge for Flagler County. His fellow judges elected him Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit. The Florida 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. The Florida Conference of Circuit Judges elected Judge Hammond as a chairman.

Opinions
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. He would diffuse tension with tactful humor and was "always willing to say hi, shake hands and talk to people," according to the Flagler Director of Courts. “He is what a judge is meant to be,” was the comment of a veteran Flagler Beach Police detective. The mayor of Palm Coast referred to him as a “gentle giant”. He was known as "respectful", "fair", "honest", "thorough" and "decent" to litigants and attorneys.

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.”

Music
Due to his Scottish heritage, Hammond learned to play the bagpipes. 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 of Scotland the Brave was often heard in the halls of the courthouse, a unique tradition.

Click to play the song

New facility
Most of Judge Hammond's career was spent at the Old 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 in Bunnell is named in his honor. It was completed and opened in 2007 and is situated adjacent to the new Flagler Government Services Building.

Community service
Hammond remained a diehard FSU fan throughout his life, serving on the board of the Seminole Boosters and the FSU Alumni Association. During his time in private practice, he was active in the Daytona Beach Rotary Club, United Way, Boy Scouts and the Daytona Beach Community College Foundation. He and his family attended the First Presbyterian Church of Daytona Beach where he was a Deacon and Elder. After becoming a judge, Hammond was also on the board of Florida Special Olympics, was Chairman of Volusia/Flagler Easter Seals and coached football and baseball in youth leagues.

Family
Hammond met his future wife at FSU and married the former Jan Dunn in 1968 at Daytona Beach. The couple raised three children: Paige, Todd and Amanda. They also had eight grandchildren. He especially enjoyed family and their trips to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina.

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.