Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 29, 1995 TAG: 9509290047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Jeff Hubbard, VMI wide receiver, is a rarity. He's been first and last.
``When I was young and we played streetball, everybody wanted me on thGeir team because I was one of the bigger people and I could do everything,'' he said Wednesday.
Once he reached Heritage High School in Lynchburg, however, things changed. For one, he wasn't playing football. Coming from a low-income background, his mother, Virginia, a nursery school teacher, could not afford to pay for the physical that was required to play football.
By 10th grade, he wanted a football letter more than anything, so he found a free clinic for his physical. Up until then, he played a little basketball, and ran cross country and track, even winning the city championship in the 800 meters as an eighth-grader.
But because of a deep well of talent at Heritage, including three future high school All-Americans, his football responsibilities were few. He played strong safety and a little tight end.
He was good enough to be an honorable mention all-Western District selection as a senior. There were other guys people wanted on their team before Hubbard.
``We had a bunch of superstars on our team,'' Hubbard said. ``I was always behind the scenes.''
Even as a senior, Hubbard wasn't getting much attention. A few colleges - Marshall, James Madison and Emory & Henry - liked his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame, but no one offered any financial aid.
``I didn't expect to get any scholarships, and without a scholarship I couldn't go to college,'' Hubbard said. ``Then out of the blue comes VMI and they tell me they could give me some money. I didn't ask any questions.''
Hubbard is now a senior, one semester away from a degree in civil engineering. When he graduates and gets a job in his field, he will come into more money than he's ever had in his life. Much of it will go to his family and his 3-year-old daughter, Ariel.
``That's one of my goals being here,'' he said. ``Mom's always trying to make ends meet. I'm tired of seeing her do that.''
Thanks to his play so far this season, there is a chance Hubbard could earn a wage from something other than an engineering firm next year. It could come from a professional football team.
Last week at Furman, Hubbard caught a school-record 13 passes for 183 yards, continuing what has been a breakthrough season for a player in only his second year as a wide receiver. He leads the Keydets with 23 catches for 319 yards.
``As far as a receiver, he's a sophomore,'' VMI receivers coach Michael Tomlin said. ``But because he's a senior, he has a sense of urgency.''
Tomlin and Kevin Sherman, the former wide receivers coach who now teaches VMI's quarterbacks, helped instill that sense. It also helps that Sherman, 27, and Tomlin, 23, are about Hubbard's age. Nicknamed ``Grandpa'' by his teammates, Hubbard is only eight months younger than his position coach.
Last season at this time, Tomlin was catching passes for Saturday's opponent, William and Mary. He set the Tribe all-time record for yards per catch with just over 20.2, and caught a 63-yard touchdown pass on the second play of last year's VMI game in Williamsburg.
Tomlin was starting to look for a coaching job in the spring when the Keydets heard about him.
``I was asking Jimmye Laycock if he would hire Mike, and he said, `I don't have an opening,''' VMI coach Bill Stewart said. ``I said, `Well, I do.' I kind of cat-and-moused him.
``Tomlin and Sherman are two guys that by the time [Hubbard] leaves here, he'll owe them more than he could ever repay.''
Hubbard's specialty is the post-corner route. A Cleveland Browns scout earlier this season told Stewart that Hubbard ran the best post-corner he had seen in a long time. Stewart says if Hubbard, who has triple-jumped 49 feet, 4 inches, hits the weights, he could get a shot at the pros.
In terms of athletic ability and stats, Hubbard would fit in well at the annual pre-draft NFL Combine. Although he would like to go, he isn't counting on it.
``It would be a real long shot,'' he said. ``I can't afford to go to those places anyway.''
Meanwhile, Hubbard is content to keep catching the ball and gaining the attention and respect he's missed on the football field.
``I'm getting more recognition,'' he said. ``It's getting back to like when I was young.''
by CNB