Kenneth Douglass Hubbs (December 23, 1941 – February 13, 1964) was an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player. He played in
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), ...
as a
second baseman for the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
from to . Hubbs died at age 22 when the private plane he was piloting crashed near
Provo, Utah
Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU).
Provo lies between the ...
prior to the
1964 season.
In his short big-league career he was an excellent fielder, already earning a Gold Glove Award; assessments of his hitting were more mixed, as he was still developing as a hitter.
In , becoming the first rookie in baseball history to win a
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...
, Hubbs set several fielding records and convincingly won the
1962 National League Rookie of the Year Award.
At the time of his death, Hubbs was among the best defensive second basemen in the game.
Early life
Hubbs was born in
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...
, on December 23, 1941, the son of Eulis and Dorothy Hubbs. The family resided in nearby
Colton, California
Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Nicknamed "Hub City", Colton is located in the Inland Empire region of the state and is a suburb of San Bernardino, California, San Bernardino, approximately south of the cit ...
.
Ken was the second oldest of five boys, raised with brothers Keith, Gary, and twins Kirk and Kraig.
When he was a few months old, in the spring of 1942, Hubbs suffered a ruptured hernia, and wore a truss for five years until it healed while he was in kindergarten. A doctor had told the family that Hubbs "will never be able to do things other kids can do in sports."
Hubbs played in the 1954
Little League World Series
The Little League World Series is an annual baseball tournament for children—typically boys—aged 10 to 12 years old, held in the Eastern United States. Originally called the National Little League Tournament, it was later renamed for the Wor ...
, as his Colton little league team advanced and represented California. California beat Virginia in the first round and Illinois in the second. In the final game of the Series, the team from
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
beat California 5-3.
Two future big league players played on the Schenectady team:
Jim Barbieri
James Patrick Barbieri (born September 15, 1941) is an American former outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers and appeared in the World Series. He later played in Japan with the Chunichi Dragons in 1 ...
and
Billy Connors
William Joseph Connors (November 2, 1941 – June 18, 2018) was an American player, coach and front office official in professional baseball. A pitcher born in Schenectady, New York, he threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed in ...
. Connors and Hubbs would become minor league teammates. Highlights of Hubbs playing defense at shortstop were captured on film. The video includes a play where Hubbs ran from the shortstop position to back up the second baseman and caught a bloop fly into short right field. Hubbs had stepped in a hole during a picnic, just before Colton's trip to the Little League World Series, breaking his toe. Hubbs played the entire tournament with the injury, hobbling around the bases when he hit a home run.
High School career
At
Colton High School, Hubbs was a four sport athlete. He excelled in three sports, baseball, basketball and football at a national level and also competed in track as a high jumper. Honored by the
California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have a s ...
in all three sports, Hubbs was an All-Southern Section for two years in football, basketball and baseball, an achievement matched at the time, 1959, by only three others:
Glenn Davis,
Bill McColl
William Frazer McColl Jr. (born April 2, 1930) is an American athlete, surgeon, and politician. He is best remembered as a college football star before becoming a professional with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League, for whom he ...
and
Marty Keough
Richard Martin Keough (born April 14, 1934) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox (1956–60), Cleveland Indians (1960), Washington Senators (1961), Cincinn ...
.
A gifted athlete, Hubbs could pitch with either arm and at 6'2", could stand flat-footed under a basket, jump and dunk a basketball behind his head with both hands. In 1958-1959, he was a high school All-American in two sports, football (quarterback) and basketball. He was recruited by the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
to play quarterback and offered a scholarship by UCLA's
John Wooden to play basketball.
In 1958, in a well-publicized basketball game at
Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College (LBCC) is a public community college in Long Beach, California. It was established in 1927 and is divided into two campuses, the Liberal Arts Campus in Lakewood Village and the Pacific Coast Campus in central Long Beach ...
against
Santa Maria High School
Santa Maria High School (SMHS) is a public comprehensive high school in Santa Maria, California, United States. Located in the heart of the city, Santa Maria High School is the oldest school in the Santa Maria Valley and is part of the oldest hig ...
, Hubbs made a half-court shot to end the first half. He followed up by scoring five points in the last 23 seconds of regulation, including a jumper at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, scoring 23 points in a Colton 53-49 win.
After breaking his foot before a football game, Hubbs put his foot with a cast inside a size-14 shoe and played that Friday night.
"Ken was undoubtedly the best football player I ever coached," said Joe Lash, his football coach at Colton High School. His basketball coach, Tom Morrow, said, "Kenny Hubbs was the best all-around basketball player I ever saw for a boy his age."
After high school graduation in 1959, Hubbs was weighing attending college at either the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
or
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
. However, Cubs scout
Gene Handley signed Hubbs to a contract that came with a $50,000 signing bonus.
Baseball career
Minor leagues
Hubbs signed as an amateur
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
with the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
prior to the
1959 season.
In 1959, Hubbs played for the
Morristown Cubs
The Morristown Cubs were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D (baseball), Class D Short Season Appalachian League from 1959 to 1961. They were located in Morristown, Tennessee, and were named for their Major League Baseball aff ...
of the Class D
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...
. Playing outfield and shortstop in the all-rookie competition, Hubbs appeared in 59 games, had 198 at-bats and a batting average of .298. His 50 runs batted in and 8 home runs were enough to earn a nomination for player of the year.
On July 18, 1959, he led Morristown to a 20-0 victory over the first place
Salem Pirates
Salem may refer to: Places
Canada
Ontario
* Bruce County
** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie
** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce
* Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
. Hubbs hit 2 home runs and a double and scored 5 runs. Morristown continued the offensive barrage five days later against Wytheville. Hubbs started a 7-run first inning with a home run, and his team won the slugfest, 9-7.
Organized baseball initiated a player draft in 1959, in an attempt to cut down on large signing bonuses given to young players. The Cubs' AAA club, the
Fort Worth Cats
The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Basebal ...
of the
American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
, recalled Hubbs in October and then purchased his contract outright in November. Hubbs appeared in nine games for Fort Worth, with two hits in nine at bats.
This maneuvering protected Hubbs from being drafted by another club, and was a sign that the Cubs clearly expected Hubbs to make the major league team in the near future.
Hubbs attended the Cubs' rookie camp in 1960 as a shortstop/outfielder, however with
Ernie Banks
Ernest Banks (January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015), nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", was an American professional baseball player who starred in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between ...
established at shortstop, Hubbs moved to second base in 1961.
In 1960, Hubbs began the season with the Class A
Lancaster Red Roses
The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named fo ...
of the
Eastern League, where he hit .216 with 6 home runs and 47 RBI in 97 games and 366 at bats playing under manager
Phil Cavarretta
Philip Joseph Cavarretta (July 19, 1916 – December 18, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman, outfielder, and manager. He was known to friends and family as "Phil" and was also called "Philibuck", a nickname bestowed by ...
. He finished 1960 by playing 38 games with the Class AA
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...
of the
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
, hitting .220 with one home run and 9 RBI.
Coach
Bobby Adams
Robert Henry Adams (December 14, 1921 – February 13, 1997) was an American professional baseball third baseman and second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball from 1946 through 1959 for the Cincinnati Reds / Redlegs, Chicago White Sox, ...
was instrumental in Hubbs transition to second base. "He had me work on the pivot 100 times a day. I was doing it in my sleep." Hubbs said of Adams. "Every day,
Lou Klein
Louis Frank Klein (October 22, 1918 – June 20, 1976) was an American professional baseball player, manager, coach and scout. During his active career he was an infielder in the Major Leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians and P ...
and Bobby Adams would have me out there practicing the double play, thousands of times, I was almost ready to quit and go home. I don't know what kept me going, but I'm glad I didn’t quit. I've decided this is where I want to be."
Hubbs played in 1961 for the Class AA
Wenatchee Chiefs
The Wenatchee Chiefs were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Wenatchee, Washington.
Founded in 1937, the team was a part of the Class B Western International League through 1954, although the team did not oper ...
of the
Northwest League
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...
. With Wenatchee, Hubbs played 138 games, hitting .286 with nine home runs and 68 RBI, along with 20 doubles, six triples and nine stolen bases. Hubbs was then called up to the Chicago Cubs in September, 1961. Hubbs also committed only eight errors all season.
Major league career
During the 1961 season, the Cubs played
Don Zimmer
Donald William Zimmer (January 17, 1931 – June 4, 2014) was an American infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). Zimmer was involved in professional baseball from 1949 until his death, a span of 65 years, across 8 d ...
and
Jerry Kindall
Gerald Donald Kindall (May 27, 1935 – December 24, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and college baseball player and coach. He was primarily a second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who appeared in 742 games played over ...
at second base. Zimmer made the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
All-Star team that year, and hit .252, while Kindall hit.242.
Hubbs made his major league debut on September 10, 1961 against the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
, with three at-bats, two hits and one
run batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
in a 12-5 Cub loss. Outfielder
Lou Brock
Louis Clark Brock (June 18, 1939September 6, 2020) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He began his 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the 1961 Chicago Cubs but spent most of it as a left fielder for the St. Louis Ca ...
also made his debut that day for the Cubs.
Overall, Hubbs played in ten games in September 1961, with five hits in 26 at-bats and one home run, at age 19.
[
Prior to the 1962 season, the expansion ]New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
drafted Don Zimmer in the 1961 expansion draft and the Cubs subsequently traded Kindall. Their departures opened the door for the 20-year-old Hubbs to become the starting second baseman for the eventual ninth-place Cubs in . Hubbs played in 160 games in 1962 hitting .260, with 172 hits with five home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and 49 runs batted in. He led all National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
rookies in games, hits, doubles, triples, runs and batting average. On April 17, 1962, Hubbs went 5-for-5 with two runs in a 10-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. "Better learn how to pitch to this boy, he'll be around a long time," said Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh
Daniel Edward Murtaugh (October 8, 1917 – December 2, 1976) was an American second baseman, manager, front-office executive, and coach in Major League Baseball ( MLB). Murtaugh is best known for his 29-year association with the Pittsburgh Pira ...
.
Hubbs was named the 1962 Rookie of the Year, earning 19 out of 20 votes. He was also named the Rookie of the year by ''The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'', receiving 120 votes. Hubbs became the second consecutive Cubs player to win the award, after Billy Williams had won the award in 1961. The next Cub to win the award was Jerome Walton
Jerome O'Terrell Walton (born July 8, 1965) is an American former Major League Baseball center fielder who played for the Chicago Cubs, California Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, between 1989 a ...
in .
In the field, Hubbs was outstanding. As a rookie, he set major league records with 78 consecutive games and 418 total chances without an error, breaking Bobby Doerr
Robert Pershing Doerr (April 7, 1918 – November 13, 2017) was an American professional baseball second baseman and coach. He played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Boston Red Sox (1937–1951). A nine-time MLB A ...
's Major League records in both categories. In post season awards, Hubbs became the first rookie to win a Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...
. He also led the league in two less desirable categories that season by striking out
''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...
129 times and grounding into 20 double play
In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs.
In Major Leag ...
s.[ On September 30, he started a ]triple play
In baseball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 733 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season.
Th ...
in the final game of the season against the Mets. His glove from 1962 is on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
.
Partway through the 1962 season, Cubs owner Philip Wrigley called Hubbs into his office, tore up his existing contract and doubled his salary.
Hubbs was well liked by his teammates, who included future Hall of Famers Billy Williams, Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Lou Brock. Banks remembered, "Lots of young players do something special and you can't talk to them any more. Not Ken. One day, he got seven hits in a doubleheader. Pretty good for a rookie. But he didn't talk or act any differently than when he didn't get a hit." Hubbs was known for his faith. Reporters often noted that he did not smoke or drink alcohol, and that he attended church services while on the road with the team. With Hubbs's encouragement, Ron Santo quit smoking.
"He was a Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
, deeply religious, never swore, never drank, played hard, played the game," reflected Santo. "He was talented. You knew this guy was going to be great. He would always go out with us. He wouldn't drink, but he'd have as much fun as we did."
In Hubbs played in 155 games and batted .235 with eight home runs and 47 runs batted in and his superior fielding helped the Cubs finish over .500 at 82-80.
Death
Hubbs decided to challenge a fear of flying
Fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane, or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also referred to as flying anxiety, flying phobia, flight phobia, aviophobia, aerophobia, or pteromechanophobia (although ae ...
head-on by taking flying lessons in the winter between 1963 and 1964, and received his pilot's license in January 1964. On February 12, Hubbs flew from California to Provo, Utah
Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU).
Provo lies between the ...
with his friend Denny Doyle to surprise Doyle's wife, who had recently given birth to the couple's child. That night, Hubbs played in a charity basketball game sponsored by Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
.[
A snow storm developed in the ]Utah Valley
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
the morning of February 13. Hubbs attempted to beat the storm, and he and Doyle took off in a red and white Cessna 172
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company. from Provo Airport. Hubbs had not filed a flight plan but told airport staff that the pair were heading for Morrow Field near Colton, California
Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Nicknamed "Hub City", Colton is located in the Inland Empire region of the state and is a suburb of San Bernardino, California, San Bernardino, approximately south of the cit ...
.[ Euliss Hubbs, Ken's father, reported that they had not arrived in Colton by Friday the 14th, prompting a search in areas of Utah, Nevada and California along the possible flight path.
There was no radio contact with Hubbs after takeoff, prompting Utah's civil aeronautics director, Harlon Bement, to suspect "the plane could be fairly close y" The wreckage was found a quarter mile south of Bird Island in ]Utah Lake
Utah Lake is a shallow freshwater lake in the center of Utah County, Utah, United States. It lies in Utah Valley, surrounded by the Provo- Orem metropolitan area. The lake's only river outlet, the Jordan River, is a tributary of the Great Salt ...
. Both Hubbs and Doyle died in the crash. The air temperature was estimated as -1 °F, and it had been snowing heavily.
Hubbs's funeral was held several days later in his hometown of Colton. Services were held in the Colton High School Whitmer Auditorium because of the huge crowd, and the automobile procession to his burial was two miles long. Fellow Cubs Ron Santo, Ernie Banks
Ernest Banks (January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015), nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", was an American professional baseball player who starred in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between ...
, Glen Hobbie
Glen Frederick Hobbie (April 24, 1936 – August 9, 2013) was an American professional baseball player who pitcher, pitched in the Major League Baseball, Major Leagues from 1957 to 1964. A right-handed, right-hander, he stood tall and weighed . ...
and Don Elston were among the pallbearers. He was buried at Montecito Memorial Park, in Colton.
Santo had visited his friend and teammate in California two days before the crash and had gone up in Hubbs' plane during the visit. After parting, Santo went home to Seattle, while Hubbs headed to Provo. Santo recalled Hubbs saying, "When I get up there, Ron, and I fly, it's like being next to God. It's like I’m next to God."
Ernie Banks said, "Any athlete who ever played with Hubbs will dedicate the rest of his career to Ken because he was the zenith in inspiration and enthusiasm as well as desire and determination."
Jim Murray of the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' wrote, "Kenneth Douglass Hubbs was more than just another baseball player. He was the kind of athlete all games need. A devout Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
, a cheerful leader, a picture-book player, blond-haired, healthy, generous with his time for young boys; he was the kind of youth in short supply in these selfish times."
"There isn't a man in Chicago who wouldn't have been proud to have him as a son," said Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley
Richard Joseph Daley (May 15, 1902 – December 20, 1976) was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1955 and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee from 1953 until his death. He has been cal ...
.
"Ken and I were both religious, we were always joking – trying to convert each other. I'm Catholic, he was a Mormon. But after he died, I had to see a priest," said Ron Santo. "I couldn’t understand it. I mean, he loved life. He was a great human being. This was a kid who didn't even smoke or drink. Why him?"
Lou Boudreau, who then was a Cubs' radio announcer, said, "At the time he died, I felt he was on his way to a Hall of Fame career. His bat hadn't come around, but it would have."
"Kenny would have been one of the all-time greats," said Don Elston. "Kenny was one of the to-be all-stars, Hall of Famers."
Billy Connors, Hubbs' Little League world series rival, became a teammate and friend in the minor leagues. Connors eventually became a long time major league pitching coach. He said of Hubbs, "I've seen a lot of professional players through the years, but I would describe Kenny as a perfect player. He had great talent, great makeup, an amazing will to win."
Personal
Hubbs came from a devout Mormon family and often visited children in hospitals and spoke to church groups.
Ken's older brother, Keith Hubbs, played football at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
. Later, Keith served as President of the Ken Hubbs Foundation for 38 years and oversaw the annual selection process for the Ken Hubbs Award until his death in 2018 at age 80. Keith named his first son after his late brother and his son, Ken, threw out a first pitch at Wrigley Field in 2003.
The Ken Hubbs Foundation was established shortly after his death. Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley
Walter Francis O'Malley (October 9, 1903 – August 9, 1979) was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1979. In 1958, as owner of the Dodgers, he brought major league b ...
donated gate receipts and other monies from a May 4, 1964 Cubs-Dodgers game to the foundation. The Ken Hubbs Foundation also received many donations from fans.
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American Football Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...
mistakenly used a photo of Hubbs on its 1966 card of Cubs pitcher Dick Ellsworth
Richard Clark Ellsworth (March 22, 1940 – October 10, 2022) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs (1958, 1960–1966), Philadelphia Phillies (1967), Boston Red ...
.
Honors
Hubbs was awarded the 1959 Los Angeles Examiner
The ''Los Angeles Examiner'' was a newspaper founded in 1903 by William Randolph Hearst in Los Angeles, California. The afternoon '' Los Angeles Herald-Express'' and the morning ''Los Angeles Examiner'', both of which had been publishing in the ...
Trophy as the “Best All-Around Athlete in Southern California”.
After his death, the Ken Hubbs Foundation was established in his honor.
Hubbs' glove used in the errorless streak in 1962 is on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
in Cooperstown, New York.
Since 1964, the Ken Hubbs Award has been given to the best high school male athletes in the greater San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
area. Beginning in 2012, a female athlete is also honored. Beginning in 2019, an athlete of high character is also honored. 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, coach ...
player Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel Lott (born May 8, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s.
Lott played college football for the Univ ...
was a recipient in 1977. Other recipients include MLB player Greg Colbrunn
Gregory Joseph Colbrunn (born July 26, 1969) is an American former Major League Baseball, Major League baseball player and coach (baseball), hitting coach. Primarily a first baseman during his active career, the Fontana, California, native played ...
(1987), Olympic runner Ryan Hall (2001) and Green Bay 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) NFC North, North division. It ...
1st round pick Kenny Clark (2013).
Colton High School named their gymnasium the "Ken Hubbs Gymnasium". A collection of trophies and other memorabilia are on site.
Hubbs's uniform number 16 was never retired by the Cubs, but was kept out of circulation until 1970, when it was assigned to Roger Metzger
Roger Henry Metzger (pronounced "Met-ZEE-ger", born October 10, 1947) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played most of this career for the Houston Astros (1971–1978). He also played for the Chicago Cubs (1970) and the San Francisco ...
br>
In 1964, Topps issued a special card for Hubbs with a black band and reverse white text reading, "In Memoriam" on the card face. The card was numbered 550.
On June 26, 2002, the Chicago Cubs honored Hubbs' memory, with “Ken Hubbs Memorial” day at Wrigley Field. Fans in attendance received a replica of his 1962 Topps Rookie Baseball card.
See also
* List of baseball players who died during their careers
This is a list of baseball players who died during their careers. These deaths occurred during a game, due to illness, results of accidents, acts of violence, or suicide.
Repeated studies have shown that Major League Baseball players have a greate ...
References
External links
Ken Hubbs
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Ken Hubbs , A Glimpse of Greatness
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbs, Ken
1941 births
1964 deaths
Accidental deaths in Utah
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
Baseball players from Riverside, California
Chicago Cubs players
Fort Worth Cats players
Gold Glove Award winners
Lancaster Red Roses players
Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners
Major League Baseball second basemen
Morristown Cubs players
People from Colton, California
San Antonio Missions players
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1964
Wenatchee Chiefs players