Rich Hammond usually has a sure answer for every question.But when asked at practice Wednesday if he's slowed down or changed at all after getting married earlier this month, just weeks before he begins his third season as head coach of Gilroy High football, he waffles.
"It's funny," Hammond says, "I'm probably not as energetic as I was before. That's probably what happens as time goes on, but I've gotten more calm and clearheaded."
He then adds, "But I guess I'm still a little fiery."
Assistant coach Craig Martin didn't need long to answer the question.
"No, he's still ornery as ever," Martin said.
The headmaster of the greatest offensive show on high school turf in California married his girlfriend of three years, Katie Kristalyn, in Mexico on August 4, with his father Bob, a reverend, conducting the service in front of friends and family. The result since, the coach says, is he has found a better balance between his work and personal life. Admitting that he used to "be a drag racer, pedal to the metal, going 100 miles per hour" 100 percent of the time when it came to football, Hammond is as happy and relaxed as he's ever been.
"The best part of having her around is I had a lot of professional success (coaching), but I would go home and there was no one there to share it with," he says.
The two met while teaching two doors down from one another at Santa Clara High School in 2005 and became engaged in the spring of 2007. While some would have been scared off by a boyfriend that spent night after night watching game film, sometimes until the sun was coming up, Hammond says that was never an issue.
"The thing that's really cool about Katie is she's always been really cool about my passion (football) and she supports that," he says.
That's not to say she isn't preparing herself for what will be a long season if Gilroy accomplishes its goals of going undefeated, winning the Central Coast Section title and playing in a state bowl game.
"She said the other day, "I gotta get used to football season again,' " Hammond said.
On that point, you can bet they're on the same page.
Josh Koehn
Josh Koehn is the sports editor for the Gilroy Dispatch. He can be reached at (408) 842-1694 or at jkoehn@svnewspapers.com.
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