Cal Hubbard
Robert Calvin Hubbard (October 31, 1900 – October 17, 1977) was a professional American football player and Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire. After playing football at Centenary College and Geneva College, Hubbard played in the National Football League (NFL) between 1927 and 1936 for the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was an umpire in the American League (AL) from 1936 to 1951, then worked as an umpire supervisor until 1969.
A member of three major sports halls of fame, Hubbard is credited as being one of the inventors of the football position of linebacker. To date Hubbard is the only person to be enshrined in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the 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, Missouri, 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 at West Point, New York; however a physical discovered he had flat feet, eliminating him from eligibility.
