Photos for Headline Surfer / Kim. C. Hammond, a retired circuit judge, who died Sunday, is shown above with the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in Bunnell. Visitation will be held between 3-8 p.m. today at the Lohman Funeral Home, 1423 Bellevue Ave., Daytona Beach, Florida. Before his distinguished career in the judiciary, Hammond was a star QB at Florida State and played briefly for the Miami Dolphins.
YouTube video download / Here are the closing minutes of the 1967 Gator Bowl that resulted in a 17-17 tie between Penn State and the Hammond-led Florida State Seminoles. Keith Jackson of ABC Sports characterizes Hammond, the game's MVP, as 'incredible.'
By HENRY FREDERICK
Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Ted Doran, one of Central Florida's top lawyers, said there was "no finer man in the world," than Kim C. Hammond, a retired circuit judge who passed away Sunday at age 72.
Hammond, a gifted Florida State quarterback, who briefly played in the NFL, served on the bench in Flagler County for nearly 32 years, including a stint as chief judge of the 7th Judicial circuit, which encompasses Volusia, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns counties.
"He made an immeasurable contribution to all the lives he touched," said Doran, of the Daytona Beach law firm of Doran Sims Wolfe & Kundid, in fond remembrance of the longstanding jurist for whom a new Flagler County courthouse was named the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in 2009, two years before his retirement.
Ted Doran, shown here and one of Central Florida's top lawyers, said there was "no finer man in the world," than Kim C. Hammond, a retired circuit judge who passed away Sunday at age 72.
Hammond, a gifted Florida State quarterback, who briefly played in the NFL, served on the bench in Flagler County for nearly 32 years, including a stint as chief judge of the 7th Judicial circuit, which encompasses Volusia, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns counties.
"He made an immeasurable contribution to all the lives he touched," said Doran, of the Daytona Beach law firm of Doran Sims Wolfe & Kundid, in fond remembrance of the longstanding jurist for whom a new Flagler County courthouse was named the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in 2009, two years before his retirement.
Before his distinguished career as a judge, Hammond, a Miami native who was raised in Melbourne, earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Florida State University. Before going to law school, he was an All-American quarterback for FSU who finished fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy his senior year, leading to a brief career in professional football for the Miami Dolphins and the then-Boston Patriots.
Hammond passed passed the Florida Bar in 1972 and started as an attorney in private practice in Daytona Beach. He was appointed to the bench in 1979 by then-Florida Gov. Bob Graham and for many years served as the only circuit judge sitting in Bunnell, Flagler's county seat, and presiding over all aspects of law.
Hammond was credited with making the new courthouse in Flagler County a reality and the justice center, which opened in 2007, was later named in his honor.
Brian Toung, like Doran, a Daytona Beach attorney, said he met Hammond in 1979, "right after his appointment before he went on the bench and he convinced me to go to law school. He is part of the reason I became a lawyer and an FSU alumnus, and he was my favorite Judge. He will be truly missed."
And George Pappas, another local attorney from Ormond Beach, said Hammond was "the perfect example of a great person and a great judge. I really enjoyed practicing in front of him. He was fair, honest, smart and had a wonderful sense of humor. He will be missed by anyone who was blessed to know him."
Did You Know?
The late Kim. C. Hammond and retired Circuit Judge S. James Foxman have two other things in common besides being circuit judges:
• They were each appointed to the bench in 1979 by then-Gov. Bob Graham.
•And each has a courthouse named in their honor. There's the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in Bunnell and the S. James Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach, the latter shown here.
FAST FACTS: Kim C. Hammond benchmarks:
Kim Crane Hammond (October 12, 1944 – July 16, 2017) was a judge in Flagler County, Florida and was a quarterback for Florida State University, who finished 5th for the Heisman Trophy, before playing for the Miami Dolphins and Boston Patriots. For Seminole fans, he is best remembered for quarterbacking the team's first victory over rival Florida in Gainesville, 21–16.
•
College QB: 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. 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. 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.
•
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.
5th in Heisman voting: 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. The Florida State University Hall of Fame inducted him in 1978.
•
1968 Miami Dolphins Draft: Hammond was a 6th round selection (142nd overall pick) of the
1968 Common Draft. Here are players the Dolphins selected ahead of Hammond: Larry Csonka, RB, 8th overall pick of the draft, RB Syracuse; Jim Kiick, 118th selection, RB Wyoming.
• 1969 Trade of Hammond & another player for Nick Buoniconti: Hammond and LB John Bramlett were traded by the Dolphins in March 1969 to the Boston Patriots for LB Nick Buoniconti.
• What could have been: With the trade that shipped out Kim Hammond for Nick Buoniconti, the Dolphins would go on to play in three straight Super Bowls. Miami lost SBVI to the Dallas Cowboys, 24-3; won SB VII over the Washington Redskins, 14-7, to complete a perfect season with no losses; and won SB VIII over the Minnesota Vikings, 24-7.
•
From gridiron to law school and judgeship: After attending Florida State University, Hammond was in
private practice in
Daytona Beach for several years. He became a judge in 1979. The Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in
Bunnell is named in his honor. Judge Hammond was also the first president of the "National Seminole Club" when the Seminole Boosters merged with the Alumni organization in 1972.
Sources: Wikipedia and Miami Dolphins
Obituary Listing for Kim C. Hammond
Kim C. Hammond, retired Flagler County Circuit Court judge, Florida State University Hall of Famer, beloved husband, father and grandfather, died on July 16, 2017. He was born to William and Virginia Hammond on Oct. 12, 1944, in Miami, Florida.
In 1955 he and his brother, Bill, moved with their parents to Melbourne, Florida, where their father was employed by Pan American Airways and was one of the early employees at Cape Canaveral.
Hammond attended Melbourne High School where he excelled in athletics lettering in football, baseball and basketball. He received a football scholarship to Florida State in 1963, and finally had his first big chance to be the starting quarterback in the second game of his senior year. Eight games later, he was an All American quarterback, finished fifth in the Heisman trophy voting and was the Most Valuable Player in the Senior Bowl and Gator Bowl. He was also voted into the Gator Bowl and two FSU Halls of Fame.
That year, Hammond graduated with a degree in Business Management and then began to pursue a law degree at the FSU College of Law. It was at FSU that Hammond met his future wife of 49 years, Jan Dunn. They were married in her hometown of Daytona Beach in 1968, and immediately moved to Miami where Hammond had been drafted by the Miami Dolphins. He was traded to the Boston Patriots the following year and was with them for two seasons before retiring from the NFL to complete his law degree.
During this time he was also serving six years with the Army Reserve, the National Guard and as a Military Police Officer. After his graduation from law school in 1972, the Hammonds moved to Daytona Beach. He joined the law firm of Green and Strasser which later became Green, Strasser and Hammond. He practiced in Daytona for seven years and during that time he was an active member of the community serving in the Daytona Beach Rotary Club, the United Way, Boy Scouts and the Daytona Beach Community College Foundation.
Hammond also served on the board of the Florida Special Olympics, was the Volusia/Flagler Easter Seals Chairman, coached young local athletes in football and baseball, was on the board of the FSU Seminole Boosters and the FSU Alumni Association and served as a Deacon and Elder at First Presbyterian Church of Daytona Beach.
In 1979, Governor Bob Graham appointed Hammond as a circuit judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit. At 35, he was one of the youngest circuit court judges in the State of Florida. Hammond embarked on a legal career that would span 38 years, 31 of which were spent serving as a circuit judge for the Seventh Circuit and as the Administrative Judge for Flagler County. He held numerous leadership positions during these 31 years. He was elected chief judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, was a Florida Judicial College Instructor, and was an elected chairman of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges.
In 2009, a new Flagler County court house was named the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in his honor. Hammond was a man of many varied interests. Whether it was athletics, music or his professional life, he was passionate about everything he did. He was a lover of his family, books, the Seminoles and trips to the beautiful North Carolina mountains. He is survived by his adoring wife, Jan; daughter Paige Wolpert (Ed), son Todd Hammond (Lisa), daughter Amanda Rapp (Steve); and his brother, William Hammond (MaryK). Hammond was known as Granddaddy to his grandchildren: Eva and Thomas Wolpert, Wyatt, Josie and Cora Hammond, and Gregory, Natalie and Britton Rapp.
The family will receive visitors at Lohman Funeral Home on 1423 Bellevue Avenue in Daytona between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday, July 21. A funeral service for family and church members will be held at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Daytona Beach on Saturday, July 22. Memorial gifts may be given to the National Parkinson Foundation, 200 S.E. 1st Street, Suite 800, Miami, Florida 33131, or to First Presbyterian Church of Daytona Beach, 620 South Grandview Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida 32118.
