On the blog today, it's been a while since I added to the short
1963 Fleer checklist, so I thought a "missing" card for former N.L.
Rookie of the Year Ken Hubbs would be nice:
Hubbs
was just coming off a great MLB debut season in 1962 when he collected
172 hits with 90 runs scored for the Chicago Cubs, eventually taking
home 19 of 20 votes for the Rookie of the Year Award.
He would
put in another solid season in 1963, playing in 154 games and hitting
.235 while scoring 54 runs and driving in 47 for a Cubs team that was
building an incredible young squad featuring the 1961 Rookie of the Year
Billy Williams and third baseman Ron Santo, both future Hall of Famers.
He
was such a standout athlete that while in High School he was an
All-American in two sports, and baseball was NOT one of them, as he
excelled in basketball and football.
Tragically, in February
of 1964, just a month after receiving his pilot's license, Hubbs flew
his friend from California to Utah to see his wife and newborn child,
only to perish along with his buddy on the flight back to California
after experiencing bad weather, with the small Cessna going down in Utah
Lake, extinguishing a young, promising career.
Hubbs' legacy
has been impressive, as you can clearly read in his biography, with
sports, religious organizations and civic league's extending tributes
even decades after his death.
Only 22 years old at the time of his death, many considered him a blossoming star in the game.
