Mal Hammack Explained

Mal Hammack
Number:31, 33
Position:Halfback, fullback, linebacker
Birth Date:June 19, 1933
Birth Place:Roscoe, Texas, U.S.
Death Place:Valley Park, Missouri, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lbs:205
High School:Roscoe (TX)
College:Arlington State,
Florida
Draftyear:1955
Draftround:3
Draftpick:26
Pastteams:
Highlights:
Statleague:NFL
Statlabel1:Games played
Statvalue1:128
Statlabel2:Rushing attempts
Statvalue2:320
Statlabel3:Rushing yards
Statvalue3:1,278
Statlabel4:Receptions
Statvalue4:27
Statlabel5:Receiving yards
Statvalue5:255
Statlabel6:Touchdowns
Statvalue6:8
Pfr:HammMa00

Malcolm Eugene Hammack (June 19, 1933 – July 19, 2004) was an American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve years during the 1950s and 1960s. Hammack played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals of the NFL.

Early life

Hammack was born in Roscoe, Texas in 1933.[1] He attended Roscoe High School,[2] where he played for the Roscoe Plowboys high school football team. After graduating from high school, he attended Arlington State Junior College in Arlington, Texas,[2] and played football for the Arlington State Rebels.

Major college career

Hammack accepted an athletic scholarship to transfer to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Bob Woodruff's Florida Gators football team in 1953 and 1954.[3] As a senior in 1954, he was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection and the first recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award, recognizing the "senior football player who displays outstanding leadership, character and courage."[3] Woodruff later ranked him as one of the Gators' five best offensive backs of the 1950s.[4]

Hammack returned to Florida to finish his bachelor's degree in 1958, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."[5]

Professional career

The Chicago Cardinals selected Hammack in the third round (26th pick overall) in the 1955 NFL draft,[6] and he played his entire twelve-year professional career for the Cardinals, in both Chicago (–) and St. Louis (–).[7] Hammack was used primarily as a blocking fullback, but he still had 320 carries for 1,278 yards and seven touchdowns in his career.[1]

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Mal Hammack. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  2. databaseFootball.com, Players, Mal Hammack . Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  3. 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 96, 103, 139–140, 181 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  4. Tom McEwen, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama, pp. 210–211 (1974).
  5. F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  6. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1955 National Football League Draft. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  7. National Football League, Historical Players, Mal Hammack. Retrieved May 27, 2010.