He was instrumental in forming the Adelaide Football Club, but there was much more to the great Bob Hammond than met the eye.
Three guests joined AFC’s The History Locker: Hall of Fame podcast to reminisce about Hammond and honour the great legacy he left on the footy world.
Hammond sadly lost his battle with Parkinson's disease in 2020, aged 78.
Former Crows Football Manager John Reid had plenty of memories to share, remembering Hammond’s “great sense of humour”.
“He had a place down at Goolwa - he loved his golf - the holiday place down there was right on the golf course,” Reid said.
“He had this great mate, Grant.
“They would play golf and then they would always ask each other to each other’s place for dinner.
“Grant had a show and Bob didn’t get asked, not that it really worried him, but he knew Grant had the big webber going out the back and he’s got the two chooks in there.
“They’re all having a drink and Bob sneaks around the golf course, takes off the lid, puts in two bricks, takes the chicken out.
“Grant told me the story and he said that his wife said ‘now those chickens will be ready, Grant’, ‘Yes, spot on, they’ll be beautiful’.
“He goes and opens the bloody webber up and there’s two bricks.
“He had a great sense of humour and he loved nothing better than sitting around and having a glass of red and a chat about footy, that was his passion and he really enjoyed that.”
Hammond served as Chairman of Adelaide until 2000 and was on the AFL Commission from 2001-2011.
Before that he played 248 SANFL games for North Adelaide and Norwood, winning three premierships at North Adelaide - 1960, 1971 and 1972.
Hammond also coached Norwood to premierships in 1975 and 1978, then coached the Sydney Swans in 1984.
In 2015, he was the first inductee into the Crows Hall of Fame and became a member of the AFL Hall of Fame.
He is also a member of the SANFL Hall of Fame.
“Anything Bob put his hand to, he made sure it was a success,” Reid said.
“The best thing you get out of footy is your friends and I regarded Bob as a good friend.”
On the podcast, inaugural Adelaide coach Graham Cornes also revealed one of Hammond’s “mischievous” moments.
“John Cahill and (Hammond) did pinch a whole lot of State guernseys,” Cornes said.
“We were on a trip to Perth and he and John Cahill pinched the whole case, all the State jumpers and nearly got away with it.
“There was a bit of mischief in him but by and large he had this fine, upstanding persona and he always lived up to that.”
