Temple University Athletics
WR C.J. Hammond
Photo by: Mitchell Leff
C.J. Hammond: Perseverance Pays Off
11.11.12 | Football
Gameday Feature Story
by Kami Mattioli, CLA '11
Two years removed from a devastating injury, senior wide receiver C.J. Hammond finally had something to celebrate.
It was September 8, 2012 -- Week 2 of the Owls' schedule -- and Temple was pitted against the Maryland Terrapins in a gridiron battle.
The Washington, D.C., native got the nod to start at wide receiver against his hometown rivals.
An unusually-warm breeze rippled lazily through South Philly's Lincoln Financial Field, bathing the men on the field in the glow of late afternoon. But in the midst of the comforts of a beautiful autumn day, a battle raged on in the lower bowl -- a battle that seemed to be slipping further out of reach.
The Terps had an uncomfortable 29-10 lead late in the third quarter of the day's game.
Hammond and the Owls' offensive line were posted up at 2nd and 7 on their own 38-yard line, seemingly a world away from the end zone. Quarterback Chris Coyer called for a play action pass.
Suddenly, a lapse in Maryland coverage exposed gaping holes in the Terps' backfield, leaving an unmarked Hammond wide open.
Coyer lofted the football 40 yards high above midfield where it spiraled perfectly into the outstretched arms of Hammond, who cradled it and ran 22 yards into the end zone to complete the touchdown pass -- the first in his career.
“I don't even think the ball was supposed to go to me on the play, but Maryland messed up coverage, and I was wide open,” he recalled, reminiscing about the play he refers to as “surreal.”
“I ran into the end zone, and my family was going crazy in the stands. It felt great to get that first one out of the way. That was a big thing for me and my family, especially after my injuries, to finally see some results for my hard work.”
Hammond's loping, lateral strides through the end zone capped off what appeared to be an effortless reception.
But his road to success was quite the opposite, actually.
Long after the grueling eight-month-long rehab stint where he nursed a surgically-repaired anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Hammond struggled to crack the Owls' starting lineup.
He appeared in just seven of the Owls' 13 games last season at wide receiver, largely in relief of starters Rod Streater and Deon Miller, but the 6-2 standout was undeterred, adamant to prove he could not just meet, but exceed his own expectations for 2012.
Hammond's relentless work ethic over the summer and in training camp impressed offensive coordinator Ryan Day.
“We really couldn't ask for anything more,” he said of Hammond's growth. “To see the way that he's overcome the injuries he's had, the way he goes about is business -- he's really a role model for the younger guys. Every day he gives it everything he has.”
Day calls him “smart,” “reliable” and “tough,” but spend a few minutes with Hammond and he shows that he is also affable and animated, overly gracious for the opportunity to return to the sport he loves.
He, of all people, knows that nothing in life -- or football -- is guaranteed.
“With an injury like mine, a lot of players don't come back from it. I always had that in the back of my head,” he explained. “But as soon as I got the surgery, I just kept telling myself 'hey, I've got to get better. I want to play football. I want to come back to the field again.' And I did it.”
Forced to watch from the sidelines for the entirety of the 2010 season, Hammond relied heavily on the perseverance he gleaned from his Temple football predecessors -- the men who helped to resurrect the symbolically crumbling colonnade at 10th and Diamond.
As a redshirt freshman, Hammond stood by during an utterly disappointing season in which the Owls finished 5-7, including a demoralizing 45-3 trouncing by Penn State.
But he knew what he was committing to when he signed his letter of intent, and didn't shy away from the challenges involved in the team's growing pains.
“When I came here I knew that we were pretty much a losing team those last few years, but the coaching staff sold to me that the program was going in the right direction -- that they would pull through,” Hammond explained. “And in the end it was a great decision because the program has grown in the five years I've been here.”
That growth began in 2009 when the team won nine straight games. It was then that he noticed a shift in the team's mindset while subsequently getting his first taste of playing time during the team's week 10 action in Akron, Ohio.
“The players bought into the system,” he explained. “I think that was the year that the players decided 'we can do this, we're all going to be all-in, do our best and work hard.'”
They persevered, finishing 9-4 on the season and clinching a bowl berth in Hammond's hometown of Washington, D.C.
Though the Owls ended up dropping the game to the UCLA Bruins, 30-21, in a blustery winter scuffle, the 2009 EagleBank Bowl remains a top moment in Hammond's Temple career.
“I was so happy for our team, the organization, and the program. I was glad just to be a part of it really,” he said.
“I tell the guys all the time, 'wow, we've come a long way.'”
The same could be said about Hammond.
As each practice draws to a close, the quarterbacks and wide receivers gather in a circle at the 50-yard line, torquing their bodies into precarious positions in an effort to stay loose and limber.
This year, he is among them, reveling in the ability to reclaim that range of motion, to soak in the extra moments on the turf before he is swallowed by the parade of bodies funneling into the locker room.
The tug of tired muscle is a world away from the tug he felt in his left knee two years ago, and it's nothing compared to the tug of heartstrings he elicits when he describes cradling the soft leather of the football all 62 yards to the end zone.
by Kami Mattioli, CLA '11
Two years removed from a devastating injury, senior wide receiver C.J. Hammond finally had something to celebrate.
It was September 8, 2012 -- Week 2 of the Owls' schedule -- and Temple was pitted against the Maryland Terrapins in a gridiron battle.
The Washington, D.C., native got the nod to start at wide receiver against his hometown rivals.
An unusually-warm breeze rippled lazily through South Philly's Lincoln Financial Field, bathing the men on the field in the glow of late afternoon. But in the midst of the comforts of a beautiful autumn day, a battle raged on in the lower bowl -- a battle that seemed to be slipping further out of reach.
The Terps had an uncomfortable 29-10 lead late in the third quarter of the day's game.
Hammond and the Owls' offensive line were posted up at 2nd and 7 on their own 38-yard line, seemingly a world away from the end zone. Quarterback Chris Coyer called for a play action pass.
Suddenly, a lapse in Maryland coverage exposed gaping holes in the Terps' backfield, leaving an unmarked Hammond wide open.
Coyer lofted the football 40 yards high above midfield where it spiraled perfectly into the outstretched arms of Hammond, who cradled it and ran 22 yards into the end zone to complete the touchdown pass -- the first in his career.
“I don't even think the ball was supposed to go to me on the play, but Maryland messed up coverage, and I was wide open,” he recalled, reminiscing about the play he refers to as “surreal.”
“I ran into the end zone, and my family was going crazy in the stands. It felt great to get that first one out of the way. That was a big thing for me and my family, especially after my injuries, to finally see some results for my hard work.”
Hammond's loping, lateral strides through the end zone capped off what appeared to be an effortless reception.
But his road to success was quite the opposite, actually.
Long after the grueling eight-month-long rehab stint where he nursed a surgically-repaired anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Hammond struggled to crack the Owls' starting lineup.
He appeared in just seven of the Owls' 13 games last season at wide receiver, largely in relief of starters Rod Streater and Deon Miller, but the 6-2 standout was undeterred, adamant to prove he could not just meet, but exceed his own expectations for 2012.
Hammond's relentless work ethic over the summer and in training camp impressed offensive coordinator Ryan Day.
“We really couldn't ask for anything more,” he said of Hammond's growth. “To see the way that he's overcome the injuries he's had, the way he goes about is business -- he's really a role model for the younger guys. Every day he gives it everything he has.”
Day calls him “smart,” “reliable” and “tough,” but spend a few minutes with Hammond and he shows that he is also affable and animated, overly gracious for the opportunity to return to the sport he loves.
He, of all people, knows that nothing in life -- or football -- is guaranteed.
“With an injury like mine, a lot of players don't come back from it. I always had that in the back of my head,” he explained. “But as soon as I got the surgery, I just kept telling myself 'hey, I've got to get better. I want to play football. I want to come back to the field again.' And I did it.”
Forced to watch from the sidelines for the entirety of the 2010 season, Hammond relied heavily on the perseverance he gleaned from his Temple football predecessors -- the men who helped to resurrect the symbolically crumbling colonnade at 10th and Diamond.
As a redshirt freshman, Hammond stood by during an utterly disappointing season in which the Owls finished 5-7, including a demoralizing 45-3 trouncing by Penn State.
But he knew what he was committing to when he signed his letter of intent, and didn't shy away from the challenges involved in the team's growing pains.
“When I came here I knew that we were pretty much a losing team those last few years, but the coaching staff sold to me that the program was going in the right direction -- that they would pull through,” Hammond explained. “And in the end it was a great decision because the program has grown in the five years I've been here.”
That growth began in 2009 when the team won nine straight games. It was then that he noticed a shift in the team's mindset while subsequently getting his first taste of playing time during the team's week 10 action in Akron, Ohio.
“The players bought into the system,” he explained. “I think that was the year that the players decided 'we can do this, we're all going to be all-in, do our best and work hard.'”
They persevered, finishing 9-4 on the season and clinching a bowl berth in Hammond's hometown of Washington, D.C.
Though the Owls ended up dropping the game to the UCLA Bruins, 30-21, in a blustery winter scuffle, the 2009 EagleBank Bowl remains a top moment in Hammond's Temple career.
“I was so happy for our team, the organization, and the program. I was glad just to be a part of it really,” he said.
“I tell the guys all the time, 'wow, we've come a long way.'”
The same could be said about Hammond.
As each practice draws to a close, the quarterbacks and wide receivers gather in a circle at the 50-yard line, torquing their bodies into precarious positions in an effort to stay loose and limber.
This year, he is among them, reveling in the ability to reclaim that range of motion, to soak in the extra moments on the turf before he is swallowed by the parade of bodies funneling into the locker room.
The tug of tired muscle is a world away from the tug he felt in his left knee two years ago, and it's nothing compared to the tug of heartstrings he elicits when he describes cradling the soft leather of the football all 62 yards to the end zone.
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