Born December 7, 1959 in Valley Head, Hammond was a 1977 graduate of Valley Head High School. He led the Tiger football team to the semi-finals in the state playoffs in 1977. He was an All-State selction as a junior and an All-State and All-American as a senior for the Tigers. He earned All-Southeatern COnference, All-American honors and was a 4-year starter from 1978 to 1981 at Vanderbilt University. Hammond was the sixth round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1982 and played two years of professional football.
