De Andre James Hackett attended San Dimas High School and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In football, as a senior, he won All-Valley Vista League honors, All-CIF honors, and All-Inland Valley honors, and was named to the Los Angeles All-Star team. Hackett was also a member of the Saints Varsity Basketball team that won the CIF championship in 1999. He was named ALL CIF Southern Section Division III Basketball Player of the Year (as selected by SCIBCA on April 5, 1999). He graduated from San Dimas High School in 1999 with a 3.5 grade point average. His is the story of a good kid from a loving family who excelled in sports and schoolwork. Of a quiet and thoughtful young man who married his high-school sweetheart, Alexandra. Of an athlete who was 5 feet 6 when he entered high school, 6-2 when he left.
DJ Hackett was not heavily recruited to play football in college because of the mistaken belief that he only wanted to play basketball. In his freshman year at Cal State Northridge, Hackett appeared in 10 of the Matadors’ 11 games. He finished the season with 47 receptions for 728 yards and 7 touchdowns, finishing 2nd on the team in all three categories. As a sophomore, Hackett again finished 2nd on the team in receptions (53) and yards (778), and was tied for the team lead in touchdowns (10). When Cal State Northridge dropped its football program at the end of the 2001 season, Hackett transferred to the University of Colorado the following year, appearing in 12 of the team’s 13 games. In 2003 Hackett led all Buffaloes receivers with 1,013 receiving yards and 78 total receptions, scoring 7 touchdowns.
“He was never on the radar because he never did anything wrong,” Kearin said. “He always went to class. He studied hard. He just loves to play the game.”
In high school, Hackett knew football was his future. Despite the fact he was an all-area basketball player who played his best in the postseason for San Dimas, and despite the fact that his father, former NFL player Eddie Hackett, never steered him toward football.
“You could see he had the athletic ability to play,” said Gary Prestesater, Hackett’s prep basketball coach. “Everybody’s so happy for him because he’s such a good kid.”
DJ had one of the highest Vertical Leaps in the 2004 NFL draft combine (41 inches). Hackett was drafted in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Hackett was one of Matt Hasselbecks favorite targets. He played in the Super Bowl his rookie season in 2005 and 3 additional seasons with the team before becoming a free agent. Hackett has also played for the Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins. In his four year NFL career, DJ caught 118 passes for 1575 yards for 13.3 average yards per carry and 9 touchdowns.
