Coach Hammermaster was a 1953 Puyallup High School graduate, where he was an all-state football player. From Puyallup he went to the University of Washington on a football scholarship. After 1 and 1/2 years at the UW, Rich transferred to University of Puget Sound where he played football for 3 years and basketball for 1 year.
Richard went from college to being a officer in the Air Force for three years. He was the Education Officer at Hamilton AFB, California and also played three years of service football.
In 1961 Rich taught at Puyallup High School and was the sophomore basketball coach for Dean Nicholson. The next two years Rich coached the JV and assisted Dean with the varsity team. Dean moved on to Central Washington University and Coach Hammermaster took over the head job at Puyallup.
At Puyallup, Richard was the head coach for 14 years from 1964 to 1978. His overall record was 174 wins and 113 losses. He had 6 consecutive league championships from 1966-1972. His 1971 team won the state championship, and he was selected by Washington State Coaches Assoc. as “State Coach of the Year”.
Rich was always known as a perfectionist; one who demanded flawless execution of the defensive and offensive fundamentals emphasized in his system. Defensively, he adopted the philosophy of tough man-to-man. Offensively, he preached player movement and passing the ball, leading to an emphasis on scoring balance and team play. Above all, he promoted an aggressive style of basketball, consistent with his own highly competitive personality. All of these are constant themes in the remarks of his former players about their recollections of playing for Rich Hammermaster.
But, Coach Hammermaster’s most important legacy was that of coaching integrity, which showed over and over in his fourteen years of coaching.
Richard and his wife Gayle have 3 children, sons Brad and Greg and one daughter Teri. They also have 5 grandchildren.
