CCC Sports Information Great Dick Hamilton Remembered
Dick Hamilton, who was a major contributor in sports information for the California Community Colleges at College of the Sequoias, was remembered by friends and family at memorial services held Monday at Smith Mountain Cemetery outside his home city of Dinuba. Hamilton passed back on June 12 of this year at the age of 94.
Hamilton was a long-time SID for the Central Valley Conference and was an original member of the CCC Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) executive committee. After retiring, he formed Spinco, a sports information company that was the forerunner to many of today's advanced sports statistics platforms. Spinco focused on baseball, softball, basketball and women's volleyball.
In 2002, he became the first non-coach to be inducted into the CCC Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. His work as the state baseball statistician and regular volunteer assistance in record keeping at state championship events was respected among both his peers and the baseball world. He kept detailed postseason and state championship records in a number of sports, one of the first to fully archive CCC athletics events for public distribution.
He was honored by the CCCSIA as just the third person to receive the association's highest honor--the Brass Top--in 2003.
He served in the U.S. Navy and was stationed at Pearl Harbor during the Korean War. He met his wife Donna as the two wed during his time in the military. He attended Reedley College and later graduated with a master's in education at Fresno State. He worked at Bulldog sporting events with future San Francisco Giants broadcaster Lon Simmons.
Hamilton went on to a long career as an English and journalism instructor at Sequoias and performed SID-related duties at the college, including broadcasting COS Giants football games.
Hamilton is survived by his sister Phyllis and brother Jack, and his children, Kathy, Mark, Mike and Karen. He also is survived by nine grandchildren and one great grandchild.
The COS Foundation has set up donation fund in Hamilton's memory: COS Foundation, 915 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, CA, 93277 or online at COS.edu/Foundation.
Remembrances and condolences may be sent to Kathy Hamilton, khamilto218@gmail.com, or sent to 5515 Lawnview Way, Elk Grove, CA, 95758, and will be shared with the family.
Link for more about Dick Hamilton's life: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/clyde-hamilton-memorial?id=60256691
Release by Robert Lewis, CCCSIA
