Because of a question, Bill Hammel is a Linfield Wildcat.
Without the question, Bill would not have become a Linfield student.
Without the question, he would not have met Linfield student Barbara (Brookshire) Hammel, now his wife of 45 years when this story was posted in August 2015.
You get the idea, it was a life-changing question.
But, before the question and how Bill -- Linfield Class of 1970, bachelor of science degree in business -- answered it, some background.
It’s the fall of 1967, Bill is home for the summer in The Dalles after a 1966-1967 school year of studies -- “majoring in football,” but with an interest in agriculture and business -- in La Grande at Eastern Oregon College (EOC, now Eastern Oregon University).
A 1966 graduate of Wahtonka High School in The Dalles, he was a standout athlete in football, basketball and track. But, of those three sports, football was Bill’s (6-foot-2, 225-pounds) favorite.
He was a starter in the 1966 Shrine East-West All-Star high school football game in Pendleton.
As a Wahtonka senior, Bill was offered a basketball scholarship to OCE (now Western Oregon University). Oregon State wanted him to be a football team walk-on with no scholarship unless he made the team. His Wahtonka coach had talked to Bill about attending Linfield and took Bill and two teammates to McMinnville to a Linfield football game in the 1965 season. EOC offered and he accepted a football scholarship.
During the 1966 season for the EOC Mountaineers, Bill was starting offensive tackle and defensive middle guard. But, after spraining his ankle, he was on offense exclusively. In the spring, Bill was a Mountie track & field athlete, throwing the discus and high jumping.
(EOC won three games and lost five. In case you wonder, in its 1966 season, EOC did not play Linfield.)
Again, it’s 1967. And, it’s Friday night.
He has everything packed. The next morning, Saturday, Bill will leave the Hammel family wheat and cattle ranch and drive in his Mercury Meteor sedan to La Grande and the start of EOC football practice and beginning of fall classes.
It’s Friday night, and Bill attends a high school football game in The Dalles.
At the game, Bill says, he “ran into a high school friend, who was a year older and a junior college football little All-American. My friend said, ‘Why did you go to EOC?’
Bill tells his friend, “I’m going into my second year of football at EOC. And, my second year I will transfer to Oregon State. I’ll be an OSU football team walk-on and, hopefully, earn a scholarship.”
If you transfer to Oregon State, you will lose a year of football eligibility and can only play one season more of football, his friend says.
However, the friend says, if you transfer to other schools – including private schools in Oregon – you’d only have to sit out six weeks of classes and then you could compete in football without losing an entire season.
“I left the game and phoned my Wahtonka football head coach, Jeff Durham in The Dalles,” Bill says. “Jeff happened to be a son of Paul Durham, Linfield head football coach. I was fortunate to reach Jeff on the phone on a Friday night during football season.”
Jeff believed Bill’s friend was correct, but he had Bill call his father in McMinnville. It’s about 10 p.m. Coach Durham and his wife were still up. The Durhams were waiting for their other son, Terry, to return from playing in a Continental (pro) Football League game.
“Coach Durham and I talked and he verified the transfer information. He said, ‘Why don’t you transfer to Linfield? You could redshirt your sophomore year and work on your studies.’
“He told me fall classes had been underway for a week, but he could get me admitted, find a dorm room, and try to get a financial grant for me,” said Bill. “The coach said if I decided to transfer to give him a call when I got to town and we would meet and get things going the next morning.”
It’s even later Friday night. Bill awakens his parents, Frank and Mildred, second generation wheat and cattle ranchers on Fifteenmile in The Dalles’ Petersburg loop. They okay Bill’s plans.
Saturday morning, before Bill drives from The Dalles to Linfield, he calls Archie Dunsmore, EOC head football coach. “I told him I was transferring to Linfield. He was disappointed and tried to talk me out of it, but the decision was made.”
After arriving in McMinnville, Coach Durham took Bill to the Waldorf (Laurel Hall, Linfield’s remaining GI housing) and introduced him to head resident Pete Dengenis. In turn, Pete introduced Bill to his Bill’s new roommates Bob Sullivan, Sonny Jepson and Tim Danchok.
As planned, Bill redshirts the 1967 season. “Coach Durham had me and other redshirting players practice with the team on Wednesdays, scrimmage days. We were the ‘scout team,’ running plays of the team Linfield would play that Saturday,” says Bill.
When Bill prepared to play Linfield Wildcats football in the 1968 season, Coach Durham had moved to the University of Hawaii to become its athletic director and Ad Rutschman was Linfield’s new head football coach. Playing for the Wildcats was a great experience, says Bill, who started at defensive tackle and lettered in the 1968, 1969 and 1970 seasons for the Wildcats.
Bill’s Linfield football game memories include:
LINFIELD AT BOISE STATE, Sept. 21, 1968
“The first play of the game, we were on defense. When Boise’s line came off the ball at the snap I was so impressed with how it looked. They were fast and one big front coming at us. They looked like the Green Bay Packers. We dug in and changed our look,” Bill says.
After taking a 7-0 lead, Boise was on offense and Linfield defensive back Jim Consbruck “intercepted a pass and broke up the right side. I saw that their quarterback was cutting him off, so I took off from the left side toward the quarterback and yelled at Jim and so he knew I was coming.
“Jim turned left towards me and set the quarterback up for a ‘hello’ block for me and Jim ran the ball in (39 yards total) for a touchdown.”
After Tim Kubli’s second PAT kick it was 14-0 Linfield. A Kubli field goal and a Boise TD and PAT kick was the final score, Linfield, 17-7.
It was Boise’s first game as a four-year college after many years (1932-1967) as a junior college with a nationally recognized football program. Not only was it Bill’s first game as a Wildcat football player, but it was Ad Rutschman’s first game as Linfield head football coach. “Coach was well prepared as he was with all of the games he coached,” says Bill. “His adjustments all fell into place. He is, by far, the best coach I have ever played for.”
LINFIELD at LEWIS & CLARK, OCT. 5, 1968
“In high school and at EOC, my football uniform numbers were in the 70s series. And, initially at Linfield it was the same. But, Coach Rutschman had me change to 80 so, if needed, I could play tight end in a couple of games along with being a starting defensive tackle,” Bill says.
In this game, Bill and Randy Marshall, a starting defensive middle tackle, alternated series playing tight end.
An interesting sidelight to this game, which Linfield won, 14-0 … Later in his tenure leading Linfield football, Coach Rutschman coached all games from the pressbox. He was home ill all week with the flu and accompanying high fever. Although he missed practices, he was completely involved in game preparation. Because of the flu he coached from the L&C Griswold Stadium pressbox.
LINFIELD at PORTLAND STATE, Sept. 20, 1969
At Portland’s Civic Stadium (later caled PGE Park and then Jeld-Wen Field and now Providence Park) Linfield lost 26-21 to Portland State. The Wildcats had a 21-14 lead at halftime and a 21-20 lead into the fourth quarter. But, PSU scored a TD on a 34-yard pass with 6:54 left to win the (PAT run failed). Bill says, “I caught a PSU ball carrier by this fly pants string with my fingers. But, the string broke and he got away for a touchdown.”
AWildcatville photo from the 1970 Oak Leaves shows Bill on the sidelines immediately after that play.
LINFIELD at HAWAII, Nov. 14, 1969
Win this game and Linfield is undefeated and Linfield would have been in the NAIA national football playoffs. Final score, Hawaii, 19-17.
“We got homered by the game referees,” Bill said, “Coach Rutschman exploded in the locker room after the game. Some of the Hawaii team players apologized after the game for the reffing. Their coach came into our locker room and said he was impressed with our team and that he would write or call the NAIA playoff committee to see if he could influence them to let us in the playoffs.”
MILEAGE FROM THE DALLES
By transferring from EOC to Linfield, Bill saved 53 driving mileage to/from home in The Dalles. It’s about 177 miles from The Dalles to La Grande. It’s about 124 miles from The Dalles to McMinnville.
ALMA MATERS
Barb grew up in Tigard and is a 1966 Tigard High School graduate. In 1970, she earned a bachelor of science degree in business education from Linfield. Their sons, Brian and Barry, are The Dalles High School grads.
HIS PARENTS
“My parents were such great supporters of my schooling and sports. They traveled from home in The Dalles to almost all of my games,” Bill says. “One season they traveled to Hawaii. That gave them an excuse to go to Hawaii. If anyone needed a ride to a Linfield road game they were willing to take them.
“The first summer home from Linfield, I asked my mom if I made the right decision both academically and financially by transferring. She said, ‘Yes you did. I can see a difference in you. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the finances.’ Things were a little tight financially for us. I didn’t get a grant Coach Durham had hoped because my folks were farm land rich, but cash poor. My mom went back to work as a nurse to help pay for my schooling.”
HIS LINFIELD EXPERIENCE
“My Linfield Business Administration degree has been very helpful in our (Bill and Barbara Hammel) wheat and cattle ranching and other related agricultural businesses. I supplement the ag part with on the job training, going to seminars and reading.
“For Barbara and me, Linfield was one of the best times of our lives. We’re very thankful for attending Linfield.
“The friends we made at Linfield are the best friends we know. The bond that I have with teammates and classmates is like family, and I look forward to seeing them all the time.
‘I wish that our sons could have gone to Linfield to experience the bonding. But, both chose other paths for their lives’ work.
“The things I learned though sports and education at Linfield still influence me to this day in my daily work and especially from Coach Rutschman.
“Both Barbara and I are proud to be Linfield Wildcats!”
PHOTOS:
=Bill Hammel, Linfield tackle, breaks through the Willamette line in pursuit of the Willamette quarterback in 1970 Linfield at Willamette football game. The quarterback tries to get away from Hammel, who gives pursuit. Hammel closes in on his prey just as the Willamette QB thinks he has gotten away. Photo appeared in a Linfield home football game printed program.
=Bill Hammel brings the Willamette signal caller down before he has time to throw the ball or get around the corner in 1970 Linfield at Willamette football game. Photo appeared in a Linfield home football game printed program.
=A Pair of Stalwarts on the Linfield Wildcat football team hail from local high schools. Bill, Hammel (80) and Jim Bailey (40) have returned to the Wildcat defensive unit for their third years under Ad Rutschman the Linfield coach. Bailey, from The Dalles High, plays safety and is one of the suresttacklers in an open field, according to the coach. Hammel, from Wahtonka High, is said to be one of the best defensive tackles ever for Linfield. Photo/caption appeared in The Dalles Chronicle at start of the 1970 season.
=Bill Hammel #80 in action photo from (maybe) a Lewis & Clark at Linfield football game. Photo apparently from Linews.
=On the sideline at Portland Civic Stadium, Bill Hammel is dejected after he failed to stop a Portland State University player from scoring a touchdown in Linfield at PSU football game starting the 1969 season. Photo appeared in 1970 Oak Leaves.
=Flying Bill Hammel in a Linfield Sports Information publicity photo prior to start of 1970 Linfield football season.
Photo credits: Wildcatville took 1969 Linfield at Portland State photo. Most or all of the other photos by Rusty Rae.
