Hubbard eager to return to track
STILLWATER — Chuba Hubbard sidestepped a Missouri State defender behind the line of scrimmage, then broke for a cross-country sprint to the end zone.
The 54-yard touchdown reception in Oklahoma State’s season opener was one of the few times the redshirt freshman running back was able to flash his dynamic speed and his only play from scrimmage of more than 30 yards.
But Hubbard intends to show off his quickness plenty in the coming months.
Hubbard, who was a three-time Canadian champion for his age group in the 100-yard meter dash growing up in Sherwood Park, Alberta, will compete for OSU’s track and field team soon after the Cowboys’ football season wraps up Monday against Missouri in the Liberty Bowl.
“I’m rusty,” Hubbard said. “It’s been awhile, so I’ll see if I have wheels.”
During his recruitment, Hubbard was adamant about getting to do both football and track as he considered 25 offers from Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and others.
Marcus Arroyo, then the Cowboys’ running backs coach, reached out to Diego Flaquer, then the sprint coach for OSU’s track team. Flaquer and Hubbard’s coach, David Lee Pong, shared a mentor in 1992 U.S. Olympic track coach Mel Rosen, and Flaquer used that connection to build one with Hubbard.
Flaquer, who now coaches sprints for the Miami Hurricanes, said OSU’s history of dualsport athletes, with former Cowboys Tyreek Hill, Tre Flowers and Jerel Morrow among those who also ran track in Stillwater, helped make Hubbard a Cowboy, as well.
“He was a powerful runner; he had great acceleration,” Flaquer said. "As a sprint coach, that's what you want. You want a good combination of both."
Hubbard has demonstrated both in football, too.
He rushed for more than 100 yards as the Cowboys’ primary running back against top10 opponents Oklahoma and West Virginia, putting plenty of physicality on display.
“Football's football,” Hubbard said after OSU’s upset of the Mountaineers. “Hits are what it's about. If I didn't want to hit, I would've stayed with track.”
Still, Hubbard describes track as “my first love," with the sport helping his speed and explosiveness on the football field. He plans to run the 60-meter dash during the indoor season and the 100-meter dash in the subsequent outdoor season.
Hubbard practiced with OSU’s track team last year, but he didn’t compete as he learned to balance his track schedule with his spring football schedule.
“I was always dead,” he said. “I was in good shape, but my body was just always exhausted.”
After “winging it” last season, Hubbard has a better understanding of how to schedule himself to better avoid injury. The football program is often accommodating, with strength and conditioning coach Rob Glass having workouts in the morning to leave the afternoons open for track practices.
Having scholarship football players on the roster benefits the track program, as well, adding a participant without the cost of an additional scholarship.
"OSU's had a great track program, and they're gonna continue to do well because now you're starting to create a pipeline of having guys that can do both, and I think that's special,” Flaquer said. “Not a lot of schools in the country do that.
"If you're naturally gifted like Chuba in the sprint, then hey, man, go out there and maximize your abilities to the fullest."