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Rudy Hubbard is forever immortalized in Tallahassee for his contributions to the city’s college football history.
On Tuesday, in front of the Al Lawson Center, the City of Tallahassee gifted the former Florida A&M head football coach with his street sign bearing his name.
In January, the City of Tallahassee unanimously approved renaming Osceola Street to Rudy Hubbard Way, ranging from South Adams Street to Althea Gibson Way.
Hubbard, 78, got his street dedication alongside late former FAMU educators and community servants Dr. Carolyn Ryals and E. Lilyan Spencer.
“This has certainly been an honor for me and something I will never forget,” Hubbard told the audience. “I appreciate all of you and very honored that this is going to happen.”
Hubbard, from Hubbard, Ohio, oversaw the Rattlers’ football program from 1974 to 1985.
The College Football Hall of Famer (2021), FAMU Sports Hall of Famer (1990), and former Ohio State Buckeyes running back led FAMU to back-to-back Black College National Championships in 1977 and 1978.
Also in 1978, under Hubbard, FAMU football won the inaugural NCAA Division I-AA championship by beating the University of Massachusetts 35-28 in Wichita Falls, Texas.
That victory made the Rattlers the first Florida university to win an NCAA-recognized football national championship. FAMU is also the only HBCU to win a national championship for Division I-AA, now known as the Football Championship Subdivision.
“He’s overdue for this type of honor,” said Albert Chester, who quarterbacked FAMU during Hubbard’s championship seasons.
“Coach Hubbard has impacted many lives, and I’m happy he’s alive to appreciate it. If I had to do it all over again, I’d do it the same way. And I appreciate everything he’s done. It’s a tribute that’s life-lasting. I’m happy to be part of the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/famu-footballs-championship-coach-rudy-193135537.html
Author : Tallahassee Democrat
Publish date : 2025-03-04 19:31:00
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