Magic Touch

Steven Hawking likes to joke that duct tape holds together the universe.

Jimmy Hammond tells his players that athletic tape holds together Southwestern College sports.

Athletes agree with their agreeable trainer and are generally pretty good about following the advice of the man they call "Bone."

Hammond has been tending to SWC athletes since 1986. He said he wanted to be an athletic trainer before he even graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1963.

"I grew up in a medical family and it came from my mother's side," he said.

His mother was from Magazine, Ark. and attended the University of Oklahoma. She later volunteered during a polio epidemic. His father was an army engineer from Oklahoma and his sister became a labor delivery nurse.

Sports have also always been a part of Hammond's life, he said.

"I can tell you what every gym floor looked like in the Metro League," he said with a grin as he recalled his wrestling years at Sweetwater.

Hammond attended SWC, San Diego State and the University of Hawaii, where he earned his bachelor's degree.

He said he is not married because he spends so much time making sure the athletes are in good shape and taking care of their injuries. He likes to think of all the athletes as his children.

Hammond does find some downtime.

"My hobbies include deep-sea fishing," he said. "I like being around the water and happy hour."

Hammond begins his hectic day at 9 a.m. and usually closes up around 7 p.m. Football injuries are to be expected. Every team's schedule is on the bulletin board in his office, so he can prepare for the athletes to come to him. Whenever an athlete comes into the training room with an injury, Hammond and his apprentices are ready to evaluate the injury and then use cryotherapy, which is performing treatments while using water at cold temperatures.

Hammond was an athletic trainer for the San Diego Chargers from 1969 to 1982, including the Don Coryell era.

"The Chargers gave him the nickname Hambone and when he came to SWC, we summed it down to bone," said Dennis Petrucci, his training colleague.

During a flight with the Chargers, the plane had to make an emergency landing in Denver because of a fuel leak. One of the players said, "Hey Bone, why don't you just go out there and tape that up?"

Hammond has been at SWC for 22 years.

"He has a hard job but he always makes it fun," said women's soccer coach Cem Tont.

Hammond said he loves doing his job because he likes helping people. He said he particularly enjoys it when the athletes come back to thank him after they have transferred or graduated.

Coaches look to Hammond for answers and parents trust him to take care of their sons and daughters.

"We've never had as good a trainer as he is," said baseball coach Jerry Bartow. "He also took care of our gear and always had our uniforms washed."

Hammond gets as many props for his bedside manner as for his medical and training skills. His sense of humor and reassuring manner can be comforting for a hobbled halfback or limping linebacker.

And his tape can work magic.