Art Hammond

When considering the best all-around athlete ever at Eastern High School, Art Hammond’s name surfaces quickly. The 1961 graduate first made a splash as a 13-year-old pitcher and was the team’s most valuable player the following year.

He was the first athlete to be awarded the E blanket, which required 12 varsity letters. Hammond finished with 13 – four in baseball and three apiece in football, basketball and track.

In football, the Comets compiled 7-2 records during his junior and senior seasons. He was an outstanding fullback, earning all-state honorable mention as a junior in the single-class system.

In basketball, he was his team’s MVP as a junior, scoring a career-high 34 points against Northwestern as an undersized 5-11 center.  As a senior, he manned the pivot for a team that won its first 13 games and was ranked as high as No. 13 in the state. The Comets finished 16-5, losing to eventual state champ Kokomo in the sectional.

Hammond set the school record in shot put as a senior at the IHSAA regional. His toss of 50 feet, 10 1/4 inches stood for 51 years.

Hammond played football, track and baseball at Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis). He had a four-touchdown performance against Franklin College his sophomore season, before suffering a career-ending shoulder injury.