BOSTON – Over the next few weeks, GoSuffolkRams.com will take a look at the student-athletes, special honoree and team to be inducted into the Suffolk University Athletics Hall of Fame this October. Our first installment features one of the most prolific scorers to don a sweater for men’s hockey, Mike “Hammer” Hamilton, BSBA ’88, MBA ’95.
Considered one of the all-time great Suffolk snipers, where big goals, clutch assists and crushing hits were the hallmark of Mike “Hammer” Hamilton’s career, which spanned from 1983 through 1987.
One of those clutch performances came against a then-undefeated Framingham State team in 1986-87. Hamilton helped the underdog Boston Rams upset the FSU Rams by a score of 4-2. The senior contributed to all four points, scoring two himself and assisting on the two others.
Another memorable moment in Hamilton’s career is the program’s first victory over Bentley in 1984-85. Chasing one goal in the final minutes, the sophomore spearheaded Suffolk’s come back against the Falcons. The left winger put away the game-tying goal in the last seconds of regulation to force overtime, where his stick was responsible for the game winner that lifted the Rams to a 5-4 triumph.
A three-year captain, Hamilton rewrote the Rams record book and left the program as the all-time leading scorer at the time with 130 points on a stat line broken down to 63 goals and 67 assists. Those numbers are still scattered in Suffolk’s top-10 today.
Hamilton grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts, and was a part of the first generation of hockey players to stay local and travel to the city to wear the blue-and-gold. His success at Suffolk was instrumental to push a second generation of Somerville locals to continue their playing days on Beacon Hill. That group that Hamilton influenced to be a Ram includes the program’s all-time leading scorer, Brian Horan, a member of Suffolk’s inaugural Hall of Fame class.
“Achieving the distinction of being inducted into the Suffolk Athletics Hall of Fame for my recognition of contributions to the success of the team and program is an honor I will forever be grateful,” Hamilton said. “It connects a bond between my personal family and my Suffolk family, which I will be forever in Suffolk’s debut for such an honor.
A double Ram, Hamilton earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1988 and went on to achieve a Masters of Business Administration eight years later. Both degrees centered on a Computer Information Systems concentration.
Today, Hamilton resides in Woburn, Massachusetts, with his wife Amy and their two children, Tommy and Caitlin. The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Victor Corporation in Andover, can be found in his free time volunteering with Woburn Youth Hockey, as a board member and coach, as well as on the baseball diamond as a coach for the Woburn Little League.
Hamilton is the eighth men’s hockey player to be inducted into the Suffolk University Athletics Hall of Fame, including multi-sport athletes. He is the fifth member of the Rams’ men’s hockey program to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame from the late 80s, early 90s era joining the likes of Horan (2007), Brian Gruning (2009), Sean O’Driscoll (2016) and Rick Piracini (2019).
The 2022 Hall of Fame Class features three men, two women and one team representing four different athletic programs. On October 14, the Suffolk University Athletics Hall of Fame, which held its first induction ceremony in 2007, will increase in size to 71 members broken down by 53 student-athletes, four head coaches, 10 teams and four special honorees.
The 2022 Suffolk University Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Friday, Oct. 14 at Suffolk University’s Sargent Hall's Keches Room, 120 Tremont Street, Boston, at 6:00 p.m. Tickets to the event can be purchased here.
THE SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
The Suffolk University Athletics Hall of Fame will recognize the outstanding achievements of former athletes, coaches and others who have played a most significant role in the history of athletics at our University.
For a more insider’s look at the 2022 Suffolk University Athletics Hall of Fame Class be on the lookout for the Hall of Fame series, which will be published on GoSuffolkRams.com leading up to the event. Specific publication dates on the inductees can be found below:
- Tuesday, Sept. 20 - Mike “Hammer” Hamilton, BSBA ’88, MBA ’95 – Men’s Hockey
- Thursday, Sept. 22 - Darwin Hernandez, BS ’98, MSCJ ’02 – Baseball
- Tuesday, Sept. 27 - AnnChristine Kruse, BSBA ’90 – Women’s Basketball
- Thursday, Sept. 29 - Ellis “Sonny” Lane, BA ’68 – Baseball
- Tuesday, Oct. 4 - Maureen Pirone, BA ’89 – Rams Supporter
- Thursday, Oct. 6 - 2005 Softball Team