Robert (Cal) Hubbard

Cal Hubbard, at 6-2 and 250 pounds was, by the standards of the 1920s, a huge man. Still, he could run the 100-yard dash in close to 11 seconds. It was an awesome combination of size and speed for a tackle.

Hubbard played college football at two relatively small schools: Centenary (La.) College and Geneva (Pa.) College. When he turned pro he went to the game’s biggest city, New York. The Giants, however, were well stocked at the tackle position, so the big man from the small schools was moved to the end position on offense and linebacker on defense. For the next two years, 1927 and 1928, the Giants teamed Cal with another future Hall of Fame lineman, Steve Owen.

The addition of big Cal made a good Giants defense great. New York posted 10 shutouts in 13 games in 1927 and allowed only 20 points for the season while winning their first NFL title. Hubbard earned all-league acclaim both seasons with New York.

In 1929, at his request, Cal was traded to Green Bay, where he liked the small-town atmosphere. Packers coach Earl "Curly" Lambeau was building a championship organization, and he moved the versatile Hubbard back to the tackle spot. The Packers won NFL championships three consecutive years – 1929, 1930, and 1931. Cal enjoyed his best years with the Packers from 1929-1933 and 1935. During that time, he earned first-team all-league honors as a guard in 1929 and at tackle in 1931, 1932 and 1933.

During the summers in Green Bay, Hubbard began umpiring baseball games. In 1936, he began a new career as an American League umpire. He became almost as famous as a baseball umpire as he had been as a football player. In 1958, he was appointed umpire-in-chief of the American League. Hubbard is the only person to be enshrined in both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.