Northern Illinois University Athletics

The only two-time First Team Academic All-American in NIU football history, Thomas Hammock also recorded a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons during his career as a Huskie. 

During his sophomore season in 2000, Hammock burst onto the scene as he rushed for 1,083 yards, 12th-most in the country, and scored 16 touchdowns, sixth best in the nation. In just nine games played, Hammock eclipsed the 100-yard mark seven times, including a stretch of five consecutive games, on his way to earning First Team All-MAC honors, along with CoSIDA First Team All-America recognition. 

As a junior, Hammock gained 1,096 yards, fourth best in the MAC, and scored seven more touchdowns, while leading the Huskies with 1,166 all-purpose yards. He ran for a career-best 195 yards in a victory over Central Michigan and for the second consecutive year garnered First Team All-MAC honors as well as CoSIDA First Team All-America status. In the season opener of his senior season, Hammock ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns in an overtime victory against Wake Forest, but he missed the final 11 games of his senior campaign due to a heart condition. 

Hammock finished his career as the seventh all-time leading rusher in program history with 2,432 career yards and he currently sits 13th on NIU's all-time rushing list. His 25 career touchdowns rank 10th in school history

Following his playing career, Hammock joined the coaching ranks, beginning as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin. He returned to NIU as running backs coach for two seasons (2005-06) before spending time with Minnesota and returning to Wisconsin. Hammock spent five years in the NFL as the running backs coach of the Baltimore Ravens (2014-18) before returning to DeKalb as head coach of the Huskies in 2019.