At 6-2 and 190 pounds, Jim Hajdukovich [1995-99] didn't play every position on the basketball court, but to look at his collegiate statistics, it certainly seems that he did.
Following a standout prep career at Fairbanks' Monroe Catholic High School and a redshirt season at Division I Fresno State, the gritty guard quickly earned a reputation as a fan favorite at UAA, scoring a freshman-record 288 points in 1995-96.
Four years later, he would leave with a school-record 1,472 points as well as the top career marks in assists (371), steals (192) and three-pointers made (238). Hajdukovich went on to become the first 4-year letterwinner at UAA to score double digits in all of his seasons, and 10 years later he still holds top-10 career ranks in steals (1st), assists (2nd), three-pointers made (2nd, 238), points (4th), blocks (4th, 78) and rebounds (7th, 526).
As a sophomore in 1996-97, he entered the starting lineup early in the year and helped the Seawolves to an outright Pacific West Conference title and the first of back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. Averaging better than 15 points his last two years, Hajdukovich regularly put up monster stat nights - a triple-double (25 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) against Seattle Pacific; 21 points, 10 rebounds and four steals in a Shootout overtime win against Notre Dame; 30 points in a postseason-clinching victory over Western New Mexico - and earned all-league, all-region and team MVP awards.
After graduating with a degree in economics, he was honored permanently by the men's basketball program when the team's 'Iron Man' award was renamed the Jim Hajdukovich Trophy, presented to the player who best displays physical toughness, endurance and court awareness.
Today Hajdukovich is the president of Frontier Flying and a vice president for Era Aviation as well as an active member of several community organizations, including the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce and the non-profit Challenge Life.
He and his wife, former Seawolf player Michelle Titus Hajdukovich, are the parents of three children Jahnna, James and Marek.
