Green Bay Packers in the Hall of Fame: Cal Hubbard
By Clay Shannon
In his lifetime, Robert Calvin “Cal” Hubbard experienced more than three quarters of the 20th century, having been born in 1900 and living into 1977.
Hubbard’s pro football career with the Green Bay Packers spanned the five seasons from 1929-1933 and also 1935. He had retired in 1934, but was persuaded to come back in 1935.
Defensive tackle Hubbard also spent time with the New York Giants and played one game for the Pittsburgh Steelers (although that Pennsylvania franchise was actually named the Pirates at the time – the same as the city’s major league baseball team).
After playing an away game in Green Bay while with the Giants in 1928, the big-city-averse Hubbard requested, and was granted, a trade to the Packers. The Giants probably figured they may as well acquiesce to Hubbard’s wishes, as he threatened to retire if he was not traded.
More from Lombardi Ave
- Packers: Picks in NFL.com mock draft would be a home run
- Packers salary cap update following second week of free agency
- Packers’ cornerback depth chart after second week of free agency
- Packers’ edge rusher depth chart after second week of free agency
- Packers’ tackle depth chart after second week of free agency
Playing off the line at times, Hubbard was credited with helping to invent the linebacker position by means of this innovation.
While with the Packers, Hubbard was on three consecutive NFL Championship teams (1929-1931), and also was an All-Pro three consecutive seasons (1931-1933).
Additionally, Hubbard was named to the virtual all-decade team for the 1920s as well as the NFL’s 75th anniversary team in 1994.
Hubbard is not only in the college football Hall of Fame, the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and the NFL Hall of Fame (as part of its inaugural 1963 class), but also the baseball Hall of Fame (inducted in 1976) among other more localized and/or lesser-known bodies.
Hubbard is the only person so far to be inducted in both the professional football and baseball Hall of Fame.
After his NFL career, Hubbard remained involved in sports professionally, but in baseball rather than football – he was a major league umpire from 1936-1951, and thereafter as an umpire supervisor until 1969.
This segue into baseball had been long planned for and worked towards. From almost the beginning of his pro football career, Hubbard had spent his offseasons umpiring minor-league baseball games.
Next: Top 30 moments in Green Bay Packers history
Rather than live in a centrally-located city to make travel easier, starting in 1944 Hubbard made his home in the minuscule town of Milan, Missouri which, like his birthplace of Keytesville, is located in the north-central part of that state.
Chicago Bears bigwig George Halas called Hubbard “The Big Umpire.”