Charles, Birmingham, ALSubj; Two timers
How many athletes been enshrined in both the Pro Baseball AND the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Just one. That honor belongs to Cal Hubbard, a gifted tackle who won three championships with the Green Bay Packers during the 1930’s. Big Cal’s remarkable combination of speed and power made him one of the game’s earliest stars and the NFL honored his outstanding contributions by selecting him as a member of their prestigious 1920’s All-Decade Team. Hubbard’s brilliance was further recognized in 1963 when he was among the initial class of inductees to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Mind you, just because he was one of the league’s marquee players doesn’t mean he was well compensated for his efforts. Hubbard’s starting salary of $150 a game required him to find a second job and he supplemented his income by becoming a baseball umpire, at first in the minor leagues and later in the Big Show. The job proved to be a perfect fit and Hubbard became so proficient at calling balls and strikes that he was selected to officiate four World Series and two All-Star Games before becoming the American League’s supervisor of umpires. "Being an umpire wasn't such a tough job,” he commented years after retiring. “You really have to understand only two things and that's maintaining discipline and knowing the rule book." Hubbard’s exemplary service to the game was recognized in 1976 when he became just the fifth umpire to be enshrined in Cooperstown.
