Inductees

Richard Hackett has spent 35 years on the pool deck at Drury University, shaping divers, building champions and quietly helping define one of the most dominant small-college swimming and diving programs in the country.

Hackett is in his 35th season as the diving coach for Drury’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving program, which has been marked by sustained excellence and national success.

Along the way, he has helped guide the Panthers to seven men’s NAIA national championships, 12 men’s NCAA Division II national titles, three NAIA women’s national championships and 10 NCAA Division II women’s national titles.

That’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Hackett with the Class of 2026.

The honor came as a surprise to Hackett, who admitted that the news made him think of his late mother, Shirley Hackett.

“I was totally shocked,” Hackett said. “My mother always talked about hoping she could get her brother into (the Hall of Fame), but it’s not something I ever thought about.”

Her brother, Richard’s uncle, was Rod “Hot Rod” Kanehl, a former Major League Baseball player who was part of the New York Mets’ inaugural team in 1962. Shirley carried Hall of Fame hope for Rod for decades.

“I was thinking that if she’s looking down, maybe this will all be OK for her now that her son got in (the Hall of Fame),” Hackett said.

Shirley was the foundation of her son’s athletic life, and the one who first encouraged Richard and his little sister, Alicia, to give the pool a try.

“She was the one kind of guiding us toward the water,” Hackett said.

When Richard was 8 years old and Alicia was 6, Shirley brought them both into swimming and diving at the same time. Raised in an athletic family, the two grew up together in the water, competing side by side.

“I was 8 years old and my mom was looking to (get me into) something,” Hackett said. “My sisters were into gymnastics, so I was copying what they were doing. So she said, ‘Let’s try diving.’”

Once they were in the pool, their father, Earl, helped keep them moving forward. Earl taught medical school at Louisiana State University and supported the family’s athletic pursuits.

“He kept us going,” Hackett said.

A native of Louisiana, Hackett’s path into diving began in New Orleans, where community and country clubs offered pools, diving boards and competition.

What started as a way for a kid to channel energy quickly became a passion.

Hackett became an All-American diver in high school at Riverdale High School in River Ridge, Louisiana. Though he did not dive in college, the sport never let go of him.

“I think when I was in high school,” Hackett said when asked when he knew diving could be his future. “We really didn’t have a coach, and we’d go to places and I just kind of helped my own teammates and my sister. It just was something that came natural to me.”

That instinct evolved into a career defined by his love of the sport. Hackett has coached multiple All-Americans and guided divers to two individual NAIA national championships and seven NCAA Division II individual national titles.

In 2025, he coached Israel Zavaleta to national championships on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards.

Hackett has been named NCAA Division II Men’s Diving Coach of the Year four times and has also served as a strength and conditioning coach for other Drury athletic programs.

Additionally, he has coached the Springfield Public Schools diving program for more than 30 years, producing three state champions.

He’s most proud of those around him.

“Just the kids that were not very touted coming out of high school and developed into great athletes and kids that go on and do great things after school,” Hackett said. “We kind of push to get those kids out of school and get them into their life, and it’s great to see some of the great things that have happened.”

After decades on the pool deck, Hackett understands that none of it happened alone. Teaming with his sister, honing his own skills or helping someone else, Hackett’s dedication never wavered. He’s driven by a love of diving and a desire to help others be their best.

He long had the support of his wife, Jana. They are parents to Alec, Mitchell and Emma.

“Thanks to my wife and family for putting up with it for all these years,” Hackett said.