University of Minnesota Athletics

Raymond Hakomaki - M Club Hall of Fame

HakomakiRaymond I. Hakomaki
Men’s Swimming & Diving, 1941-43
HOF Class of 2006

U of M coach Neils Thorpe called Ray Hakomaki the greatest sprinter he coached – quite a tribute for someone who did not learn to swim until his freshman year in high school.

Hakomaki, a 50-yard freestyle specialist, won the Big Ten bronze medal in 1942 and silver in 1943. Team captain in 1943, he led his team to a third-place NCAA finish while earning All-America honors in the sprint freestyle events. He won four more All-America honors as a member of Minnesota’s 300-medley and 400-freestyle relay teams in 1941 and 1943.

After graduating, the Gilbert, MN native kept swimming to success. In 1978, he ranked first in the world in his age group in the 50-free and 200-yard breaststroke, and held U.S. national records in every age group in which he competed. At the 1986 U.S. Masters National Championships, Hakomaki won all six events he entered. At age 85, he still competed at the annual U of M Alumni Meet, often against student-athletes more than 60 years his junior. He was inducted into the U of M Aquatics Hall of Fame in 1987.

Hakomaki, an aeronautical engineer, earned many patents. His liaison with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Office of Naval Research led to development of the ALVIN deep ocean research submarine.