Marv Hubbard

Marv Hubbard

No. 39, 44
Position:	Fullback
Personal information
Born:	(1946-05-07)May 7, 1946 Salamanca, New York, U.S.
Died:	May 4, 2015(2015-05-04) (aged 68) Walnut Creek, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:	Randolph (NY)
College:	Colgate (1965–1968)
AFL Draft:	1968  / Round: 11 / Pick: 277
Career history
Denver Broncos (1968)* Hartford Knights (1968) Oakland Raiders (1968*, 1969–1976) Detroit Lions (1977)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XI) 3× Pro Bowl (1971–1973)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 4,544 Rushing average: 4.8 Rushing touchdowns: 23 Receptions: 85 Receiving yards: 628 Receiving touchdowns: 1
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

For the career criminal of the same name, see Battle of Alcatraz

Marvin Ronald Hubbard (May 7, 1946 – May 4, 2015) was an American professional football player. He played fullback for the American Football League (AFL)'s and later National Football League (NFL)'s Oakland Raiders from 1969 through 1976, and the Detroit Lions in 1977. He was a 3 time NFL All-Pro for the Oakland Raiders, and helped lead the team to four consecutive AFC Western Division titles from 1972 to 1975 and three consecutive AFC championship games from 1973 to 1975. Hubbard is ranked third in NFL history for highest yards per carry (4.82) for a fullback (behind only Hall of Fame fullbacks Jim Brown, and Joe Perry), and is tied for 13th overall highest yards per carry in NFL history.

Early life

Hubbard grew up in Red House, New York, the son of Marvin Hubbard, Sr. and Susan Hubbard; residing in the hamlet of Bay State, Hubbard graduated high school shortly before the state forced most of the private property owners in the town to turn over their land, but he and his family were able to avoid losing their homes and he continued to own their family properties in the town until his death. ^[1] He attended Randolph High School in rural Randolph, New York, near Jamestown. Following high school, Hubbard attended prep school at the New Hampton School. ^{[2] [3]}

College career

Hubbard attended Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He lettered three years, leading the team in rushing in 1965 with 665 yards and 1966 with 893 yards, at the time the second-highest total in Colgate history. In 1966, he was 13th in the nation in rushing and scored 88 points, sixth-highest in the nation. He ended his career as the school's second-leading rusher with 1,887 yards and 22 touchdowns. He graduated in 1968. ^[4]

In 1995, Hubbard was inducted into the Colgate University Athletic Hall of Honor. ^[4]

Professional career

Hubbard was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 1968 Common Draft, but released in preseason cuts due to an initial inability to adjust to the professional game. He met the same fate with the Denver Broncos before signing with the Hartford Knights of the Atlantic Coast Football League. Despite not being the team's full-time running back, he still led the league in rushing yards, just ahead of his tandem partner, journeyman Mel Meeks. After Hubbard's success with the Knights, the Raiders exercised a reserve clause in his previous contract and signed him to their active roster. ^[3]

Hubbard was quick for his size, and powerfully built. Famous for his aggressive style, he was a fan favorite of the John Madden-led Oakland Raiders in the early to mid 1970s. "Marv Hubbard was one of the toughest players we ever had," Madden told the Contra Costa Times. "There are people that will have contact and people that won't have contact, but only a few that will have it and really enjoy it. Marv was one of those guys who truly enjoyed the collision. He would look for it." ^[5]

Hubbard averaged 4.82 yards per carry during his professional career, which ranks third all time for an NFL fullback (behind only Pro Football Hall of Fame fullbacks Jim Brown and Joe Perry) and is tied for 13th for all-time top yards per carry for any player in NFL history. ^[6] His career yards per carry average was higher than many of the games legendary running backs, including: Walter Payton, O. J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Emmitt Smith, and Marshall Faulk.

Hubbard was a standout for the Raiders from 1971-1974 and part of 1975, and gave Oakland's fearsome air attack a balanced running threat. He helped lead the Raiders team to four consecutive AFC Western Division titles from 1972-1975 and three consecutive AFC Conference Championship Finals from 1973-1975. ^[7] Hubbard led the Raiders in rushing four straight seasons from 1971-1974, and averaged over 1,000 total yards from scrimmage In each. ^[8] He gained 1,100 yards rushing during the 1972 season, becoming the Raiders then all-time single season rushing leader. He rushed for a total of 4,544 rushing yards, 3,755 of which came during his four full-time years from 1971-1974. Hubbard was named to the NFL's AFC Pro Bowl Team in 1971, 1972, and 1973.

Hubbard scored 24 touchdowns (23 rushing, 1 passing) during his career, six of which were against his favorite opponent, the formidable Kansas City Chiefs. ^[8] Hubbard was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated on December 17, 1973 after the Raiders won a pivotal game over the division rival Chiefs. Marv kept an enlarged graphic of that magazine cover in his office throughout his post-football career. He was also an effective pass receiver coming out of the backfield, and caught 85 passes for 624 total yards, averaged 7.4 yards per reception. ^[9] According to John Madden, he also used Hubbard on kick-off and punt return teams where "Marv turned from a fullback into a linebacker".

Multiple shoulder injuries sidelined him for part of 1975, and Hubbard spent all of the 1976 season on injured reserve. He received a Super Bowl ring for being a team member of the 1976 season Super Bowl Champion Oakland Raiders (January 1977 Super Bowl XI.) In 1977 he signed with the Detroit Lions, where he saw reduced play, and then retired. Hubbard also sustained, in the words of his wife, "more concussions than you could count" during his playing career. ^[10]

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Won the Super Bowl
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1969	OAK	14	0	21	119	5.7	18	0	2	30	15.0	20	0
1970	OAK	13	0	51	246	4.8	15	1	–	–	–	–	–
1971	OAK	14	11	181	867	4.8	20	5	22	167	7.6	31	1
1972	OAK	14	14	219	1,100	5.0	39	4	22	103	4.7	21	0
1973	OAK	14	14	193	903	4.7	50	6	15	116	7.7	25	0
1974	OAK	14	13	188	865	4.6	32	4	11	95	8.6	15	0
1975	OAK	7	6	60	294	4.9	53	2	7	81	11.6	16	0
1976	OAK	Did not play due to injury
1977	DET	13	1	38	150	3.9	16	1	6	36	6.0	9	0
Career		103	59	951	4,544	4.8	53	23	85	628	7.4	31	1

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1969	OAK	2	0	6	19	3.2	5	1	1	33	33.0	33	0
1970	OAK	2	0	21	70	3.3	9	0	1	5	5.0	5	0
1972	OAK	1	1	14	44	3.1	10	0	1	2	2.0	2	0
1973	OAK	2	2	30	145	4.8	20	2	3	28	9.3	17	0
1974	OAK	2	2	21	61	2.9	7	0	1	9	9.0	9	0
1975	OAK	2	2	22	63	2.9	8	0	–	–	–	–	–
Career		11	7	114	402	3.5	20	3	7	77	11.0	33	0

Personal life

Marv was a country musician and songwriter for a brief period after football, and released the single "Fullbacks Ain't Supposed to Cry" in 1978. ^[11] He co-wrote "(We've Got To) Win This One", a motivational song co-produced and released as single by Hoyt Axton in 1981, on Axton's own Jeremiah Records label. He also released the tracks "Legend in His Own Mind/Country Boogie" in 2009. Hubbard went on to become a computer programmer, working for some of the insurance companies in Hartford, Connecticut. ^[12]

Hubbard loved to golf and frequently donated his time and autographed memorabilia to charity celebrity tournaments. ^[12] In 1975, Hubbard and Sal Bando, a third baseman for the Oakland Athletics, won the American Airlines Golf Classic, which featured pro football and baseball stars as partners, in Palm Springs, California. ^[13]

On September 27, 2003, Hubbard was involved in a car accident in Castro Valley, California, in which the driver of the other car was killed. In 2004, Hubbard pleaded no contest to misdemeanor DUI. The driver who died had been making an illegal turn in a "blind spot" on an isolated section of road. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

Hubbard died on May 4, 2015, just 3 days shy of his 69th birthday, from complications of prostate cancer. ^[17] Hubbard had a wife of 49 years, two children, and five grandchildren. At the time of his death, he lived in Northern California and still owned the family properties in Red House. ^[1]

Hubbard was posthumously inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. ^[18]

See also

• Other American Football League players, coaches, and contributors

References

1. Danny Spewak (14 September 2014). "New York's Smallest Town Still Holding On". WNY News.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
2. "Sixty minutes with Marv Hubbard:A Raider's reflections on today's NFL, the old days, and coming back homePart three of a three part series". The Salamanca Press. 12 November 2007.
3. Dr.Ken (April 2010). "Somewhat forgotten, Marv Hubbard". helmethut.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
4. "Colgate University Raider Athletics". gocolgateraiders.com.
5. "Marv Hubbard recalled as epitome of toughness - Bucky & Sully". Archived from the original on 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
6. "NFL Yards per Rushing Attempt Career Leaders (Since 1946)". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
7. "Las Vegas/Oakland/LA Raiders Team Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
8. "Marv Hubbard Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
9. "Marv Hubbard Career Stats". NFL.com .
10. "Marv Hubbard: Epitomized Oakland Raiders 1970s toughness". 5 May 2015.
11. "Marv Hubbard – Fullbacks Ain't Supposed to Cry (1978, Vinyl)". Discogs . 1978.
12. Canfield, Owen (August 16, 1992). "On Course For Several Happy Returns". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
13. "Marv Hubbard, Three-Time Pro Bowl Fullback for Raiders, Dies at 68". The New York Times. 7 May 2015.
14. "Charges unlikely against ex-Raider / Man killed in crash with Hubbard made illegal turn, CHP says". SFGate. 29 September 2003.
15. "CHP report on fatal accident involving ex-Raider due today D.A. considers charges; Blood-alcohol test results due later in week". highbeam.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02.
16. "HAYWARD / Ex-Oakland Raider pleads no contest". SFGate. 27 January 2004.
17. "Marv Hubbard, former Oakland Raiders running back, dies at 68". ESPN.com. 5 May 2015.
18. "Randolph legend Hubbard named to GBSHOF". 22 April 2018.