By Darin The Pigskin Daily History Dispatch takes listeners on a nostalgic journey through the life and career of Cal Hubbard, an extraordinary figure in American football history. Born on October 31, 1900, in Missouri, Hubbard made his mark as a tackle for Centenary and Geneva Colleges before joining the NFL. His impressive stature—standing at 6 feet 4 inches and weighing 250 pounds—set him apart during the 1920s and 30s. Hubbard’s professional career began with the New York Giants, where he contributed to their NFL championship victory in 1927. After a successful stint with the Giants, he moved on to the Green Bay Packers, further cementing his legacy by winning three additional championships with them. Throughout his career, Hubbard’s prowess on the field earned him four Pro Bowl selections and a place on the NFL’s All-1920s Team, ultimately leading to his induction into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of Fame, a rare achievement for any athlete. This episode not only chronicles Hubbard's football career but also emphasizes his unique transition to becoming a highly regarded Major League Baseball umpire after retiring from professional football, showcasing his versatility and profound impact on sports.
Listeners are treated to insights from George Bozeka, president of the Pro Football Researchers Association, who shares anecdotes about Hubbard's dual Hall of Fame status, including details about his jersey numbers and the teams he played for. The discussion highlights not just Hubbard’s athletic accomplishments but also his character and contributions to both football and baseball. The episode culminates in a reflection on the significance of Hubbard's legacy, encouraging listeners to appreciate the rich history of sports and the remarkable individuals who shaped it. This exploration of Cal Hubbard’s life serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of sports history and the ongoing impact of legendary figures in the world of athletics.
Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @ Email-subscriber
Don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.
Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.
Mentioned in this episode:
Sports History Theme Song
This theme song was produced by Ron "Tyke" Oliver of Music Meets Sportz https://sites.google.com/view/sportsfanztastic/sports-history-network?authuser=0
Transcript
It's time to talk about another legend that played for the New York giants.
Host:For the 100th anniversary celebration of Giants football.
Host:Today, we're talking about a guy that's in multiple halls of fame and it's not the sports that you might think it is.
Host:Coming up in just a moment, we're going to talk about Kyle Hubbard.
Darren Hays:This is the Pigskin Daily History Dispatch, a podcast that covers the anniversaries of American football events throughout history.
Darren Hays:Your host, Darren Hays is podcasting from America's North Shore to bring you the memories of the grid one day at a time.
Host:Hello, my football friends.
Host:This is Darren Hayes@pigskindispatch.com welcome once again to the Pig Pen, your portal to positive football history.
Host:And boy, do we have a great episode for you today.
Host:We're going to talk about a Pro Football hall of Fame legend and he's got some other surprises in him, too.
Host:His name is Cal Hubbard.
Host:He played in the:Host:But he's probably most famously after he played for the Giants in his first three years, played for the Green Bay packers and really made his name for himself.
Host:But he won a championship with the Giants, which we'll see here in a second.
Host:So we're going to celebrate him.
Host:up a recording we had back in:Host:Greasy Neal and Andy Smith, two of the greatest college coaches of all time.
Host:ey both met each other in the:Host:Our book is called When Greasy Met the Wonder coach.
Host:The:Host:,:Host:I wasn't quite at the Rose bowl yet.
Host:It was a year before the Rose bowl stadium was built and finished played at Tournament Park.
Host:But boy, just a great bio to go on these coaches and some of the great things that they did during their careers in college.
Host:And we touched a little bit on the the at the end of the professional level of Greasy Neil as a coach there too.
Host:So make sure you check that out Amazon.com or go to the front page of pigskin dispatch.com check out the orange link on the side or the top and you'll see the link to the book, so hope you check that out.
Host:,:Host:ed ended tackle for Centenary:Host:Later as a pro Hubbard was a big tackle standing 6 foot 4 in height and weighing 250 pounds.
Host:A very large man for his time in the era and played with the Green Bay.
Host:the New York Giants first in:Host:Played on that famous New York Giants team that won the NFL championship and so he was a champion there.
Host:ers and he went over there in:Host:1936 he played half a season for the Pittsburgh Steelers and half back with the New York Giants.
Host:Back where he started from ended up having four NFL championships to his credit, three with Green Bay, one with the Giants.
Host:s the hall of Fame of the all:Host:And of course he is in Cooperstown for multiple numbers.
Host:His Jersey numbers are 41, 39, 38, 27, 51, 35, 60.
Host:we have an interview back in:George Bozica:Cal Hubbard, he's the only guy that's in both the Baseball hall of Fame and the Football hall of Fame.
George Bozica:After his football career ended, he became one of the great umpires in Major League Baseball history in the American League, which I think is interesting.
George Bozica:So I mean you can see his image of both Cooperstown and a Canton.
George Bozica:So he's also in the College Football hall of Fame, but he's an early player.
George Bozica:He's on the:George Bozica:He was a great, played offense and defense, offensive lineman, also played some linebacker on defense.
George Bozica:He was a member of four championship teams I believe, one with the Giants and three with the Packers.
George Bozica:And he wore number 40.
George Bozica:and:George Bozica:But you know he, you know I think his claim to fame is the fact is that he's in both hall of Fames and as an umpire, you know, for baseball, which is, I think, is amazing.
Host:Yeah, yeah.
Host:Go from a player on the gridiron to be in an umpire, that's kind of a, an odd jump.
George Bozica:Yeah, it is, it is, it is.
Host:I mean, that is just some amazing stats when you think about Cal Hubbard and all the great things that he did in football.
Host:And then to be an umpire and, you know, going to the Baseball hall of Fame as an umpire and the College Football hall of Three Halls of Fame for this amazing man, Cal Hubbard, who ended up playing for the New York Giants and helped them win a National football league championship.
Host:1927.
Host:That's your history for today.
Host:That's your New York Giants 100 for this Monday.
Host:And tune in next Monday for more Giants history.
Host:And tune in every day pigskindispatch.com for the greatest football history of all time.
Host:We have football history every day of the year and we're bringing it to you.
Host:Also, check out our YouTube channel and our podcast if whichever one you're not listening to now, because we have lots of things going on all week long of all kinds of pig skin history at multiple levels, pro, college and high school and below if we can find it, and even some of the women's leagues and other leagues around the world.
Host:So until next time, everybody have a great gridiron day.
Host:That's all the football history we have today, folks.
Darren Hays:Join us back tomorrow for more of your football history.
Darren Hays:We invite you to check out our website, pigskindispatch.com not only to see the daily football history, but to experience positive football with our many articles on the good people of the game as well as our own football comic strip, cleat marks comics, pigskindispatch.com is also on social media outlets, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and don't forget the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel to get all of your positive football news and history.
Darren Hays:Special thanks to the talents of Mike and Jean Monroe, as well as Jason Neff for letting us use their music during our podcast.
George Bozica:This podcast is part of the Sports History Network, your headquarters for the yesteryear, your favorite sport.
George Bozica:You can learn more at sportshistorynetwork.
Host:Combat.
