Though a tireless worker, Bobby Hackett was frustrated throughout his career by his inability to defeat Brian Goodell. Hackett did win the Pan-American and AAU 1,500 metre freestyle in 1975, but Goodell beat him at Montréal in that race, en route to a world record. In addition to his 1975 national title he finished third at the AAUs in the 1978 200 and 1,500 freestyles.
Hackett competed in the Olympics while a student at Fordham Prep, but later attended Harvard. He eventually earned an MBA from Harvard in 1986 and later worked in commercial real estate. In the 2020s Hackett began serving as a part-time swim coach for Emory University.