Against the odds

In the fall of 1978, the landscape was changing at Waseca High School.

The infamous class of 1979, with a well-earned reputation as the most boisterous ever in school history, was finally going to graduate in the spring, and teachers could breathe a bit easier. But the school district leaders weren't taking any chances. They made some new hires among the faculty, replacing instructors who allowed themselves to be taken advantage of or otherwise compromised by students with some tougher, no-nonsense teachers.

Ted Hammond was among them.

Fresh out of the University of Wisconsin-Stout, the handsome, energetic, athletic, outgoing and almost always smiling Hammond earned immediate respect and was a big hit at WHS, where he quickly brought the business education department to order. Girls liked him; boys wanted to be like him. But everyone knew better than to mess with him.

Hammond's iron man reputation was perpetuated in city league sports, namely basketball, football and tennis. It was a sign he meant business when he put in a mouth guard before taking the basketball court. Only local legend Bruce Wessman could feel confident facing him at tennis.

Hammond was about the most clean-living person around. He was never seen in a bar or at a party.

Many things have changed in Waseca since 1978. Brown Printing closed; the college has been replaced with a prison. The grandstand at Community Field burned to the ground and was rebuilt. South Side School is an apartment building.

One thing, however, hasn't changed.

Hammond is still here.

And he commands more respect than ever.

Since 2008, Hammond has humbly and courageously battled prostate cancer and, despite many significant setbacks that might derail a lesser combatant, he's doing what he did so many times as a younger man in the athletic arena. He's winning the fight.

Hammond, though, proclaims himself as nobody's hero.

"There are a lot of cancer patients who have it a lot worse than me," he stated.

But he's been thrown his share of curve balls.

The cancer journey started when Dr. Jim Dey noticed Hammond's PSA level increasing and suggested a biopsy. Reluctant at first, Hammond eventually agreed. Not only was the biopsy positive, but the cancer was extremely aggressive. Hammond and his wife, Penny, had two weeks to determine a course of action.

"Our choice was to have the prostate removed, but the surgery didn’t get all of it," he said. "That’s where we are today, a small portion is still in my body. We are trying a procedure called cryoablasion, which is a freezing technique."

Along the way, Hammond had a toe amputated on each foot. So the first question always asked is, "Do you have diabetes?" He doesn't.

"Bad luck would be the best answer," counters Hammond. "So when Jake Nelson and I came up with 'Teddy Nine Toes' and 'Teddy Eight Toes,' we lightened things up. By no means am I making light of amputees, but the humor works for me."

Many sayings come to mind for Hammond when dealing not only with cancer, but hardships of all types: "The hotter the fire, the stronger the steel. You have to experience some rain before you enjoy the rainbow. You have to go through the valley before you get to the mountain top. Whether you think you can or think you can’t – you’re right."

Faith in God has also been a big part of the journey.

"When first diagnosed with cancer, I made all kinds of deals with God," said Hammond. "I’ve always believed there is a supreme being and have found comfort in prayer. Being conscious that I’m a role model for cancer survivors isn’t a daily occurrence."

When Hammond was chosen as the Coaches Against Cancer honoree this year, his awareness increased.

"Especially when you see how many lives you’ve impacted," he said. "It is quite humbling."

Hammond has some help getting around in the form of what he calls a "kneelie," a four-wheel miniature scooter on which the user kneels.

"It sure beats crutches," said Hammond. "You can scoot around school or Wal-Mart at a pretty good clip. It’s a real hassle for coaching, though. The scooter was recommended after my first toe amputation to aid in recovery. You could either rent it or buy it. We bought it, and it’s been one of our better investments. When I’m not using it, we’ve loaned it out a number of times."

Hanging up his basketball shoes for the final time was not easy. If he had his way, he'd still be playing.

"I had two hammer toes and a bunion operated on at the same time to prolong my athletic days," he said. "Unfortunately, I developed a bone infection called osteomyelitis after surgery and antibiotics can’t touch it. You have to cut out the bad bone until you get to good bone. The most shocking experience Penny and I ever had was when a Mayo surgeon said they would cut off my leg at mid-calf and my problem would be solved. As luck would have it, he only took my small toe on my left foot.

That was four years ago. Unfortunately, it curtailed Hammond's physical activities including bowling, tennis, basketball, golf and his fledgling career in pickleball.

"But I can still coach," said Hammond, who has held numerous coaching duties at Waseca. He was the first to refer to the WHS girls' basketball team as Lady Jays when he was head coach in the 1980s.

"Since coaching is still in my blood, it is now my hobby," he said. "This year I gave up golf since I can’t physically demonstrate it."

As for retiring, Hammond insists that won’t happen.

"I was a substitute teacher a few years after retirement in 2011, but that got old," he said.

Hammond grew up in a busy household in Menomonie, Wis., the third of five children for Jack and Lucille Hammond. Television was just starting, so he and his siblings played a lot of group games with the neighbors. Sports were a big part.

"My dad was a player on the UW-Stout basketball team and that’s where I developed my love for buckets," said Hammond. "My favorite childhood memories consisted of playing pom pom pullaway, kick the can, Annie

Annie Over, ice hockey on Lake Menomin, cowboys and Indians, starlight moonlight, a morning newspaper route and climbing trees."

Hammond played three sports in high school.  As a senior he was an All Big Rivers Conference receiver and All Wisconsin Northwest. He played basketball four years, making the all-conference team his senior season.

In the spring, neither baseball nor track appealed to Hammond.

"So a buddy and I went to the school board to get boys' tennis added to our school sports," explained Hammond. "We recruited a coach and played tennis our junior and senior years. UW-Stout was an easy decision since Menomonie is my hometown."

Hammond played football and basketball at Stout; the future looked rosy.

"Unfortunately, my money ran out for school, so I took a job at a local Sanna Dairies to save up money to go back," said Hammond. "During this break I met my wife Penny and thought this might be the real deal. She was a freshman at Stout. So at the end of the first quarter, I enrolled at Stout again."

And, again unfortunately, the college didn’t give Hammond his student deferment of 2S back. His new classification was 1A, which meant he was eligible for draft into the military.

"Sure enough, the draft found me," said Hammond.

Since Vietnam was in full swing, he chose to join the Air Force. In March of 1970, the Air Force was his family. Hammond was married while on leave and he and Penny spent three years in Japan before his discharge in 1973.

They returned to Stout with a newborn son, Quinn, the first of their three children.

After a year teaching in Wisconsin, the family made the move to Minnesota.

It's safe to say a lot of Waseca has come to know and love the Hammond family.

And it's safe to say the feeling is mutual.

"We looked for a smaller community," said Hammond. "Minnesota had a number of job openings and Waseca hired me. That was in 1978 and here we are 45 years later. The school system was the main draw and still is. We raised our family here and have a number of fond memories. We used to have a sign as you entered Waseca that said, 'Waseca, for an hour, for a lifetime.' Who knew?"