Hammer finished the 2002 season with 61 tackles and 17 tackles for losses. He added 8-1/2 sacks to his season totals, giving him 22-1/2 for his career. He needs five sacks this season to tie the school record for career sacks, set by his brother, B.J. Hammer.
Blair Hammer also scored his first career touchdown as a Little Giant last season, returning an interception 30 yards for the game-winning score against Wittenberg in the NCAA Playoffs. He finished the game with 10 tackles, including seven solo stops, 4-1/2 tackles for losses totaling 20 yards, and three sacks for 16 yards. He helped the Wabash defense to a top-20 ranking in total defense, holding the opposition to 253.3 yards per game. Wabash was eighth in the nation in rushing defense, keeping opposing runners to only 75.7 yards per game. Hammer was a 2003 Street & Smith’s Preseason First Team All-American and Don Hansen's Football Gazette Third Team Preseason All-American selection. Hammer was recently named to the North Coast Athletic Conference All-Decade Team, the only active player to be named to the squad.
Wabash opens the 2003 campaign on Saturday, September 13 at Kalamazoo. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. local time. The Little Giants will enter the contest ranked fourth in the nation in the annual Street & Smith's poll. Wabash finished 12-1 in 2002, returning to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time in 25 seasons. The Little Giants advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual national champion Mount Union Purple Raiders. Wabash finished 7-0 in North Coast Athletic Conference play, claiming its first conference crown.
For a complete list of the 2003 d3football.com Preseason All-Americans, click here