Robert Dale Hammel

Robert Dale (Bob) Hammel, 88, July 20, 2025 at Bell Trace.

Hammel, a lifelong Indiana resident, was a 52-year newspaper journalist. He spent 40 years with the Bloomington Herald-Telephone and Herald-Times, 30 as sports editor.

He was born in Huntington, Ind., Oct. 6, 1936, to Dale T. and Beautrice M. (Betty) Hammel. He married Julie Sowerwine June 22, 1958, in Huntington. She survives, along with their son, Dr. Richard Hammel (and wife Marcie), Cincinnati; daughter Jane Priest (and husband Fred), Martinsville; granddaughters Mackenzie Hammel (and husband Dr. Reza Ghoorkhanian), Cincinnati, and Cameron Hammel, Boston; step-granddaughters Stephanie Hubbard (and husband Jason), Martinsville, and Stacy Larison (and husband Matt), Bellefontaine, Ohio; seven step-great-grandchildren; a great-great grandson; a brother, William Hammel, Indianapolis, and several nieces and nephews. A sister, Joy Kennedy, and a brother, James Hammel, preceded in death.

A graduate of Huntington High School in 1953, Hammel attended Indiana University for a year, then, at 17, took a summer job as sports editor of the Huntington Herald-Press. Fall came and, rather than returning to IU, he stayed on in the job for eight years. He worked at newspapers in Peru, Fort Wayne, Kokomo and Indianapolis before being hired at 30 in October 1966 by the late editor and publisher Perry Stewart to be sports editor of the Bloomington Herald-Telephone. Up to then, in 12 years at five Indianapolis newspapers, he had never won a major writing award or held a national office. In Bloomington starting under Stewart, he won 21 Indiana Sportswriter of the Year awards, he was inducted into the Indiana Journalism, U.S. Basketball Writers Assn., Football Writers Assn. of America, the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Assn., Indiana University Athletics and Monroe County Sports Halls of Fame. He served terms as president of the USBWA, FWAA and the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Assn. He is listed in the Naismith International Basketball Hall of Fame (as a recipient of its Curt Gowdy Media Award) and College Football Hall of Fame (for receiving the FWAA's Bert McGrane Award).

He covered five Olympic Games, 23 NCAA Final Fours, and 29 Indiana high school basketball tournament championships, among other major events. He authored or co-authored 14 books, and he received many state and national awards for game stories and columns. In 1996 Gov. Evan Bayh gave him the state's Sagamore of the Wabash award. At an event marking his own retirement as Big Ten commissioner in 2020, James Delany said "Bob Hammel is simply the most important Big Ten writer in the last 50 years."

He retired from sportswriting in 1996, and for 10 years wrote Sunday Op-Ed columns (including many that were especially popular, featuring his wife "Sweet Julie"). After retiring from the newspaper, from 2006 to 2019 he had an office at Cook Group headquarters in Bloomington, the base from which he wrote two biographical books on Cook company founder William (Bill) Cook.

He also was the writer for the 2002 autobiography of one of his closest friends, longtime IU basketball coach Bob Knight. In 2012, he wrote a second book with Knight, The Power of Negative Thinking. Most of his other books were related to IU athletics, primarily basketball. In 2019, he wrote a memoir, Last Press Bus Out of Middletown.

A 50-year member of United Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, he delivered the church's Father's Day message for 25 years (1993 through 2017). With personal contributions augmenting his share of income from a 1966 Bloomington Press Club roast in his honor, he endowed three continuing annual IU scholarships given to incoming freshmen and carrying along with his name those of Perry Stewart, Jennie B. Wilson (his Huntington High School English teacher), and Jane Hammel Priest (his career-teacher daughter).

Special to him was his wide array of friendships that included many coaches and athletes he covered, from his earliest years in Huntington through a cross-section of sports, as were a number of H-T sportswriters who went on to their own Hall of Fame recognition, and Bloomington-reared book authors Michael Koryta and Greg Dawson, whose careers he treasured. That group also includes H-T sports alumna writers Kristin Huckshorn and Tracy Dodds, who went on to national careers and recognition as early leaders in foundation of AWSM – American Women in Sports Media.

Besides files of IU, Big Ten and NCAA sports information from over the years, a prized personal accumulation was a 3,000-volume home library, each book self-selected. More than 800 were donated to form the Bob Hammel Library at Gentry Park senior living center in Bloomington. After family and friends' selections, remaining books and some personal IU sports memorabilia was featured in the 40th anniversary Hoosier Hills Food Bank's 2024 event. Hoosier Hills was the beneficiary of $26,000 from his 2020 recognition by the three Bloomington Rotary Clubs with their annual Service Above Self award.

A time to visit with Bob's family will be on Sunday July 27, 2025 from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm at The Funeral Chapel and Crematory of Powell and Deckard 3000 E. Third St. Bloomington, IN 47401.

A Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 pm following the visitation.

In lieu of flowers donations in Bob's memory can be given to the United Presbyterian Church 1701 E. Second St. Bloomington IN 47401 or Hoosier Hills Food Bank P.O. Box 697 Bloomington, IN 47402 https://secure.qgiv.com/for/hoosierhills foodbank/

Memories of Bob and condolences to his family may be given at www.thefuneral chapel.net