Kats' Hammond Retires After 16 Years
May 22, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release
NASHVILLE (May 23, 2006) - After 16 years playing between the walls in the Arena Football League, Nashville Kats wide receiver/line backer Darryl Hammond is retiring at the age of 39. He announced before the season this would be his final year and he goes out with the longest tenure of any player in the league's 20 year history.
Hammond (6-3, 220, Virginia) played in his final game on Sunday in the Kats' 55-47 loss to the Chicago Rush in the American Conference Wild Card Round.
"It is hard to think about the AFL without thinking about Darryl," said Kats head coach Pat Sperduto. "He is such a great player and I wish we could have sent him out with a win."
Last week, he was named the AFL's Ironman Player of the Week for his outstanding play in a 66-50 victory over the Tampa Bay Storm. He had his best game of the season, logging two touchdown grabs, one interception, one pass break-up and four tackles.
He is only one of five players in AFL history to have caught over 800 passes (804), and is sixth all-time in the AFL in receiving yards (8,608). He totaled 657 tackles over his career which ranks third all-time, and has 33 interceptions. He is one of only two players to have over 8,000 receiving yards and 30 interceptions in their career.
Hammond, who entered the league in 1991, played in 176 AFL games for five different franchises (Albany 1991-94, St. Louis 1995-96, Nashville 1997-2001, Georgia 2002-04, Austin 2004, Nashville 2005-06). He has been on the Kats' squad in all six years of their existance and owns team records for most career fumble recoveries (10) and tackles (277.5).
He has been named to the All-Ironman Team four times (2000, '01, '03, '05) since its inception in 1998, and was on the All-Arena First-Team three times (1995, '96, '99). Earlier this year, Hammond was selected to be on the voting committee for the AFL's 20 Greatest Players of All-Time, and also received votes.
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