Robert Calvin Hubbard (October 31, 1900 – October 17, 1977) was an American professional
football player and
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB)
umpire
An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection.
The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...
. After playing
college football at
Centenary College and
Geneva College
Geneva College is a private Christian college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional under ...
, Hubbard played in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) between 1927 and 1936 for the
New York Giants,
Green Bay Packers and
Pittsburgh Pirates, playing the bulk of his career with the Packers.
[ Hubbard is credited as being one of the inventors of the football position of ]linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
.
He was also an umpire in the American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
(AL) from 1936 to 1951, then worked as an umpire supervisor until 1969. George Halas affectionately called Hubbard the "Big Umpire."[
To date, Hubbard is the only person to be enshrined in both the ]Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
and Baseball Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Early life
Cal Hubbard was born in Keytesville, Missouri to parents Robert P. and Sarah "Sallie" (Ford) Hubbard. He grew up in modest means as the son of a small family farmer. Cal graduated from Keytesville High School, but because the school had no football team he also attended one year at Glasgow High School in nearby Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, which did offer football.[ Already tall and weighing 200 pounds as a 14-year-old, Hubbard displayed natural athletic gifts. He aspired to attend the ]United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
at West Point, New York
West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...
; however a physical discovered he had flat feet
Flat feet (also called pes planus or fallen arches) is a postural deformity in which the arches of the foot collapse, with the entire sole of the foot coming into complete or near-complete contact with the ground. Sometimes children are born ...
, eliminating him from eligibility.[
From an early age Hubbard was involved with sports. He umpired pickup baseball games at the age of 18. Hubbard chose to attend a college or university that offered football, selecting Chillicothe Business College in ]Chillicothe, Missouri
Chillicothe is a city in the state of Missouri and the county seat of Livingston County, Missouri, United States. The population was 9,107 at the 2020 census. The name "Chillicothe" is Shawnee for "big town", and was named after their ''Chillico ...
[ while also continuing to work around his family farm.][ A chance meeting in 1922 with ]Bo McMillin
Alvin Nugent "Bo" McMillin (January 12, 1895 – March 31, 1952) was an American football player and coach at the collegiate and professional level. He played college football at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, where he was a three-tim ...
, the new football coach at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, led Hubbard to enroll and play football there from 1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...
to 1924
Events
January
* January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after.
* January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China holds ...
.[ Hubbard was the school's first All-American. ]Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
coach Bill Alexander once watched Centenary when it was in town to play Oglethorpe. "Bo, this Oglethorpe bunch has fast backs, but the line is light and green. If you turn that Hubbard loose, he might kill some of them. Have Cal 'hurt his knee', why don't you, and let him sit on the bench?"
When McMillin moved on to suburban Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
's Geneva College
Geneva College is a private Christian college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional under ...
, Hubbard followed him and played there in 1926
Events January
* January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece.
* January 8
**Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz.
** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...
(after a year of ineligibility for switching schools in 1925). Geneva opened the season with an upset of Harvard.
In an era when 6-foot players were considered tall, Hubbard was noted for remarkable speed for a player of his size, listed officially at 6-foot-2, 253 pounds but as high as 6-foot-5 in Packers' sources.[ He starred as a tackle and ]end
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
** End (category theory)
** End (topology)
**End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
**End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
**End (gridiron footbal ...
, playing off the 7-man line in a style similar to that of a modern linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
. Hubbard completed his college education in 1927, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Geneva College.[
]
Professional career
Football career
Hubbard moved on to the National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
in 1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
* January 7
...
, signing with the New York Giants for a salary of US$150 per game.[ Playing alongside Steve Owen his rookie year, he helped the Giants defense allow opponents to score just 20 total points all season as they won the league championship. For his efforts Hubbard won all-league honors by the press the following year. But with a lifelong dislike for big cities, he didn't feel comfortable in New York and a 1928 road game in Green Bay led him to request a trade to the ]Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the thi ...
, threatening to retire otherwise.
Under Packers coach Curly Lambeau
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (April 9, 1898 – June 1, 1965) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin native George Whitney Cal ...
, Hubbard and the team won the NFL title in each of his first three years there (1929–1931). The 1929 team surrendered just 22 points. Lambeau had Hubbard play in the line, ending his "linebacker" days. The NFL named its first official All-League team in 1931 with Cal Hubbard being one of that inaugural list. He was chosen for the honor again in 1932 and 1933.[ ]Mel Hein
Melvin Jack Hein (August 22, 1909 – January 31, 1992), sometimes known as "Old Indestructible", was an American football player and coach. In the era of one-platoon football, he played as a center (then a position on both offense and defense) ...
said Hubbard was "probably the greatest tackle I ever played against."
Once while playing the Chicago Bears with Ukrainian fullback Bronko Nagurski
Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski (November 3, 1908 – January 7, 1990) was a Canadian-born professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL), renowned for his strength and size. Nagurski was also a successful professional ...
, the Bears prepared to punt. Hubbard went to the halfback Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and the short-lived New York Yankees ...
and said: "I promise not to try to block the kick, Red, but get out of the way so I can get a shot at that Polack
In the contemporary English language, the noun ''Polack'' ( and ) is a derogatory, mainly North American, reference to a person of Polish descent or from Poland. It is an anglicisation of the Polish masculine noun ''Polak'', which denotes a per ...
." Grange, glad not to try to block Hubbard for once, obliged. Cal tore through the line, slammed into Nagurski and bounced off. Rising slowly, he turned to Grange and said: "Hey, Red, don't do me any more favors."[ ]
Hubbard stepped away from professional football following the 1933 season, taking a job as the line coach at Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
in 1934. However, he was persuaded to return to play after that one year on the sidelines, returning to Green Bay in 1935. The Giants wooed him back to start 1936 with them, but he played only six games the entire season, five for the Giants and a final game for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the future Steelers.[ Hubbard returned to football coaching briefly, serving as head coach of his alma mater Geneva College in 1941 and 1942.][ He was among the initial class of inductees to the ]Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
in 1963. In a 1969 poll by the Hall of Fame committee, Hubbard was voted the NFL's greatest tackle of all time.[
]
Baseball career
Even while Hubbard's football career was going full-force, he began to focus on a second career in baseball officiating. From 1928 onward he spent his football off-season umpiring in minor league baseball.[ By 1936 Hubbard had been called up to the major leagues, umpiring in the ]American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
from 1936 to 1951, a contemporary with the likes of Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of manager and coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1946–1963, 1965), all but ...
.[ Soon recognized as one of the game's best officials, he was selected to work in the 1938 World Series, followed by Series appearances in ]1942
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...
, 1946 and 1949. In addition, he umpired in the All-Star Game
An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...
in 1939, 1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
and 1949, behind the plate for half of the 1939 and 1944 midsummer classics.[
Hubbard found the then-common practice of officials moving to different positions on the field during a game to be confusing and hampered accuracy when making calls. Applying his football experience to baseball, he devised a system where each official had clearly defined duties and also added an additional official to the crew.] This was the foundation on which MLB established new officiating standards in 1952.
While he was hunting during the 1951 off-season, a ricocheting pellet from a friend's shotgun blast accidentally struck Hubbard in the right eye. The damage was extensive enough to force his retirement from baseball officiating. However, the American League soon hired him as an assistant supervisor for league officiating crews, and in 1954 he became the top supervisor, a position he would hold until retiring for good in 1969.[
]
Final years
Never a fan of big cities, Hubbard had moved to Milan, Missouri
Milan ( ) is a city in Sullivan County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,819 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Sullivan County.
Geography
Milan is located at the intersection of Missouri routes 5 and 6. Locust Cree ...
, in 1944. He left in 1945 but moved back in 1948 for good.[ Milan was a small town much like his native Keytesville, which is about 50 miles to the south on ]Missouri Route 5
Missouri Route 5 is the longest state highway in Missouri and the only Missouri state highway to traverse the entire state. It is part of a three state, 650 mile highway 5. To the north, it continues into Iowa as Iowa Highway 5 and to the south ...
. A lifelong avid fisherman and hunter, the rural areas of Sullivan and neighboring counties offered ample opportunity. Hubbard stayed involved in community affairs, especially children's sports, as much as his schedule would allow. In honor of his efforts the football field at Milan High School is named Cal Hubbard Field.
Hubbard developed emphysema in the last few years of his life, so doctors suggested that he move away from the cold weather in Missouri. He relocated in 1976 to St. Petersburg, Florida. In recognition of his contributions to the game as an umpire and supervisor, Cal Hubbard was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in , only the fifth umpire to be so honored up to that time.[
Hubbard died due to ]cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
October 17, 1977, in St. Petersburg. He is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery, Milan, Missouri. He was survived by wife Mildred and two sons, Dr. Robert Hubbard, and William "Bill" Hubbard.
Awards and honors
* Member, Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 1954)
* Charter Member, Pro Football Hall of Fame (inducted 1963)
* Member, College Football Hall of Fame (inducted 1962)
* Member, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 1965)
* Member, Helms Foundation Hall of Fame (inducted 1969)
* Member, Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame (inducted 1970)
* Named to All-Time All-Professional football team (1970)
* Member, National Baseball Hall of Fame (inducted 1976)
* Member, Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame (Beaver County, Pennsylvania) (inducted 1976)
* Member, Centenary College Athletic Hall of Fame (inducted posthumously, 1990)
* Named to the Grantland Rice
Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.
Early years
Rice wa ...
All-Time, All-American football team
* Cal Hubbard Field (football) at Milan High School in Milan, Missouri is named in his honor.
* Cal Hubbard Field (baseball) at Keytesville, Missouri High School is named in his honor.
References
External links
*
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*
Retrosheet
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, Cal
1900 births
1977 deaths
American football ends
American football tackles
American shooting survivors
Chillicothe Business College alumni
Major League Baseball umpires
Centenary Gentlemen football players
Geneva Golden Tornadoes football coaches
Geneva Golden Tornadoes football players
Green Bay Packers players
New York Giants players
Pittsburgh Pirates (football) players
Texas A&M Aggies football coaches
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
People from Keytesville, Missouri
People from Sullivan County, Missouri
Coaches of American football from Missouri
Players of American football from Missouri
Deaths from cancer in Florida