GILROY – The Gilroy High football team welcomed a new member to
its coaching staff this year as 24-year-old Rich Hammond will head
up the offensive line and split the defensive coordinator
duties.
GILROY – The Gilroy High football team welcomed a new member to its coaching staff this year as 24-year-old Rich Hammond will head up the offensive line and split the defensive coordinator duties.
Hammond – a 1997 San Benito High graduate and All-League safety – coached the last three seasons at his alma mater as the secondary, wide receiver and special teams coach. But after receiving a full time teaching position at Gilroy High School this year, he decided to defect from the red-and-white Haybalers to the blue-and-gold Mustangs.
“It’s definitely strange just because I coached the last couple of years at Hollister. It’s strange, but this is where I work, this is where I’m at all day,” Hammond said. “To be honest, the two places really aren’t different. They share a lot more similarities than they share differences.”
Hammond is not the first to go from Hollister to Gilroy. Head Coach Darren Yafai coached Hammond his freshman year at San Benito High on football and baseball before coming back to his garlic roots as a teacher and coach.
“First and foremost, it was a huge addition to our program because he has such a great football mind,” said Yafai of Hammond. “He’s got one of those football minds that he picks things up real quick. He’s got a gift for football analysis. It was a big find.”
Yafai did not have to search far and wide. The Gilroy coach had ties with the Hammond family – being a fraternity brother with a cousin and playing flag football against Rich’s father for a number of years in Hollister.
“I got to know him and his dad,” Yafai said. “I kinda kept my eye on him after I came over to Gilroy High School. I watched him finish out his career at San Benito High School.”
Hammond then went to college at Cabrillo and San Jose State University, while coaching football in Hollister.
“Last year after the (football) season was over, he was looking to get into teaching and Hollister did not have any subbing positions opened so he gave me a call,” said Yafai, who was happy to help and see what he could do in Gilroy. “I helped steer him in the right direction in our district. We lost a math teacher in February and he slid right in.”
Hammond taught five mathematics classes to finish out the year and then was asked to return this school term.
“He did such an outstanding job they asked him back,” Yafai said. “I think his coaching skills and experience helped him in the classroom.”
It was only natural that Hammond made the full conversion and join the Gilroy High football coaching staff.
“I really like the kids that we have on the squad this year,” Hammond said. “They’re a really good group of guys. A lot of hard workers and a lot of personalities so it’s been a fun deal so far.”
Yafai knew it was not any easy decision for him to make.
“It was a tough decision for him because he has such strong ties with Hollister football,” Yafai said. “He has a lot of loyalty to that program.”
Hammond had worked under his former high school coach at San Benito – head coach Chris Cameron – for three years and now he is working under his former freshman football coach, Yafai.
“It’s kinda interesting because before this I worked under Chris who I played for in high school. That was kind of an interesting relationship going from a player to kind of a colleague and Darren’s been kind of similar,” Hammond said. “It’s definitely been fun. The thing I do like about working for Darren is he just gives everyone a lot of freedom to do what they need to take care of and just does a great job of taking care of the head coaching duties.”
In addition to heading up the O-line, Hammond will work with both Yafai and Greg Garcia on defense.
“All three of us bring different qualities. Greg is an expert when it comes to the defensive line. I work with the linebackers and Rich works with the defensive backs,” Yafai said. “We all like each other. We’re still working out the kinks with our game-planning and stuff like that.”
Yafai has brought in a number of former players to work alongside him. In his first year at Gilroy High in 1991, Yafai coached Jeff Patterson – who he later hired as an assistant right out of college at age 23. Patterson, a math teacher, coached the freshmen and junior varsity teams before leaving over the summer to take the head coaching job at Gonzales High School.
Yafai also coached John Perales in his junior and senior years at Gilroy High. Perales joined the football staff and then became a teacher within the district. He is now the principal of Mount Madonna.
In addition, Yafai coached Benny Canzano – now on the junior varsity coaching staff – and has hired recent graduate Stephen Low as the freshmen line coach.
“It’s always good to take reliable, motivated kids who I’ve coached and enjoyed. All of a sudden, they grow up and I feel comfortable hiring them,” Yafai said. “I knew what kind of person Rich Hammond was since he was 14. I know their character and I’m real comfortable bringing them back. It makes it more special for me.”
