Remembering the “Communists” | News, Sports, Jobs

My father suggested that I consult Dr. Damore about studying and working in his department. I suspect they were already discussing my employment. They had known each other for years in the local sports world.

Damore joined FSUC in 1956 after a successful coaching career at Hammond High School. No relation.

He started the Blue Devil football program a few years later and coached varsity basketball for four years until 1967.

When I joined his office, he had been serving as AD for six months, replacing Dr. Joseph Kaiser, who had held the position for the past 33 years.

bill hammond

Pat agreed to hire me as his successor in the department. I would spend several afternoons a week creating a scrapbook of newspaper clippings featuring FSUC athletes. I was looking through stacks of local and regional newspapers, looking for Blue Devils coverage in the sports sections.

He also had other jobs for me. I was in the spotlight as the Dodds Hall gym went dark for the varsity basketball game and before the starters were introduced. That big spotlight was dangerously hot.

We also conducted research into venue construction and counted the number of people using the gym, pool, handball court, weight room, and dance studio at different times. I kept score for the FSUC freshman basketball team, clocked games when needed, and served as the official scorekeeper for the varsity soccer team.

However, my main job was sports information and public relations. The university had a media director, but the athletic department was independent. There was no sports information director at the time, and coaches were tasked with contacting media outlets for preseason and postgame coverage. The coach had a bad habit of reporting only his own successes.

Pat gave me the responsibility at the age of 17 to make sure I spread the word about all sports at FSUC, win or lose.

I traveled by bus with soccer, basketball, and baseball teams, interviewed coaches after games, and called various media outlets with results.

Pat was always optimistic while I knew him. He was especially pleased when he told me about the accomplishments of his son, Rick, who is a standout on the soccer field. “The Stick” Damore.

It was the only time I ever saw him truly disappointed. And just a little bit.

I went to a tournament with the soccer team and he asked me to bring back game programs for his scrapbook.

I accordingly presented it to him. He scanned it and grimaced when he saw his name. Instead of Dr. Patrick R. Damore, it was written as Dr. Potak R. Damone. However, his disappointment quickly faded and we enjoyed a good laugh.

Having been employed by FSUC and working as a newspaper carrier since the age of 12, I knew my way around the OBSERVER newsroom and was quickly hired to write about FSUC games.

Within a year, I became the sports editor for The Leader on campus, writing about all varsity and intramural sports.

I loved the variety of jobs. And the fact that they funded my college education was a bonus. I have received compensation from FSUC, The Leader, OBSERVER, and several media outlets. At the time, he was paid $1 for every call he made from the Jamestown Post-Journal, Buffalo News, Courier-Express, Associated Press, and United Press International.

In total, I was paid by eight different sources to watch and report on FSUC games. I understand, but I don’t believe it.

I think the three TV stations in Buffalo are similar, but Van Miller on WBEN Channel 4 is by far the most personable. The Dunkirk High School graduate always had an interest in promoting local sports teams.

All those small checks added up and allowed me, as a college student, to open a bank account.

Who was primarily responsible for my success?Dr. Damore. He took a chance on a teenager during his first full year as athletic director, and I was forever grateful.

Without his guidance, I would not have been hired four years later as sports editor of the Evening Observer and embarked on a 45-year career in journalism.

And he rarely let me forget it either. The SUNYAC Lifetime Commissioner, affectionately known as “The Commish,” asked the same questions every time we met for several years until he passed away in 2021 at age 90.

“Hey, Hammond.” he would say with a knowing glint in his eyes. “Wasn’t I the one who gave you your first job in sports? Did you start your career in journalism?”

“I’m sure you did, Commish.” I would answer. “That’s certainly true.”

“That’s what I thought.” he added. And we both laughed.

Thank you, Commish.

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Bill Hammond is the former sports editor of the Evening Observer.