Pooley Hubert

Allison Thomas Stanislaus "Pooley" Hubert (April 6, 1901 – February 26, 1978) was one of the South's greatest American football players. He played quarterback for coach Wallace Wade's football teams at the University of Alabama from 1922 to 1925, leading Alabama to its first Rose Bowl victory in 1925, known as "the game that changed the South." Coach Wade called him "undoubtedly one of the greatest football players of all time." He later became the head football and basketball coach at the University of Southern Mississippi and the Virginia Military Institute. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1964.

Pooley Hubert
Biographical details
Born(1901-04-06)April 6, 1901
Meridian, Mississippi
DiedFebruary 26, 1978(1978-02-26) (aged 76)
Waynesboro, Georgia
Playing career
1922–1925Alabama
Position(s)Fullback, quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1931–1936Mississippi State Teachers
1937–1946VMI
Basketball
1932–1936Mississippi State Teachers
1936–1937VMI
1942–1943VMI
Baseball
1934–1935Mississippi State Teachers
Head coaching record
Overall69–69–13 (football)
35–49 (basketball)
3–12 (baseball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 SoCon (as player, 1924, 1925)
Awards
2x All-Southern (1924, 1925)
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1964 (profile)

Early years

Pooley dropped out of high school to fight in World War I. He earned a scholarship to play football at Princeton University but arrived too late for the entrance exams. He tried a few other schools including Georgia Tech (for which he was one day late)[1] before ultimately enrolling at the University of Alabama as a 20-year-old freshman.[n 1]

University of Alabama

Pooley initially played tackle in college, but was eventually put in the backfield where he excelled at fullback and quarterback. In those days of one-platoon football, players played on both offense, defense, and special teams. Not only was Hubert his team's best passer; he was also called the "greatest defensive back of all time."[2] He wore number 10. He stood 5'10" and 190 pounds.

In six different games he scored at least three touchdowns, and had 35 in all.[3] Zipp Newman wrote "No player deserves more credit for getting Alabama started up the ladder than Hubert—a football coach on the field. He wasn't fast, but he could pass, punt, buck for short yardage, and inspired his teammates. There have been few field generals in Pooley's class."[4] Herman Stegeman remarked that with Hubert in the game Alabama had the advantage another team would have by a coach on the field of play.[5]

1924

Pooley was captain of the 1924 team which netted Alabama's first conference championship, as members of the Southern Conference. It suffered a lone upset to Herb Covington-led Centre. Hubert scored in the 14–0 win over Sewanee. In the 20–0 win over Furman, Hubert scored twice, once on a 4-yard run and next on a 35-yard off-tackle run.[6] He threw two touchdowns in the win over Georgia to secure the conference.[7] At year's end Hubert was chosen for the composite All-Southern team.[8]

Alabama's first Rose Bowl touchdown. Hubert is #10.

1925

Hubert played a key role in helping Alabama win the 1925 national championship. In the 7–0 win over Georgia Tech, the alumni recalled "Hubert played the greatest game of his career and was called the greatest defensive back ever to appear on Grant Field".[9] Johnny Mack Brown returned a punt for the deciding touchdown, and Hubert cleared two Tech players out of the way.[10] Hubert also passed for two touchdowns and ran for another in a 34–0 win against Florida.[9] At year's end he was selected All-Southern.[11]

The climax of his college career was the final game, defeating Wildcat Wilson-led Washington, 20–19, in the 1926 Rose Bowl. Hubert scored the first touchdown. He hit Brown on a 59-yard touchdown pass next to take the lead. He connected with Brown for yet another after a fumble. It is known as "the game that changed the South."

Coaching career

He was a college football coach at Southern Miss, and VMI. From 1931 to 1936, he coached at Southern Miss, where he compiled a 26–24–5 record. From 1937 to 1946, he coached at VMI, where he compiled a 43–45–8 record. His 1938 squad set a school record with four ties. His best season came in 1940, when he went 7–2–1. He then coached at Waynesboro, Georgia High School, where he owned a small business.

Head coaching record

Football
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Mississippi State Teachers Yellow Jackets (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1931–1936)
1931 Mississippi State Teachers 2–5
1932 Mississippi State Teachers 5–4
1933 Mississippi State Teachers 3–5–2
1934 Mississippi State Teachers 3–4–22–2–1T–16th
1935 Mississippi State Teachers 6–4
1936 Mississippi State Teachers 7–2–1
Mississippi State Teachers: 26–24–5
VMI Keydets (Southern Conference) (1937–1946)
1937 VMI 5–55–25th
1938 VMI 6–1–44–0–34th
1939 VMI 6–3–13–1–16th
1940 VMI 7–2–13–2–17th
1941 VMI 4–64–26th
1942 VMI 3–5–12–4–110th
1943 VMI 2–61–38th
1944 VMI 1–81–58th
1945 VMI 5–43–26th
1946 VMI 4–5–13–3–18th
VMI: 43–45–829–24–7
Total:69–69–13

[12]

Basketball
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Mississippi State Teachers Yellow Jackets (Independent) (1932–1936)
1932–33 Mississippi State Teachers 4–10
1933–34 Mississippi State Teachers 7–6
1934–35 Mississippi State Teachers 3–9
1935–36 Mississippi State Teachers 7–5
Mississippi State Teachers: 21–30
VMI Keydets (Southern Conference) (1936–1937)
1936–37 VMI 6–115–1113th
VMI Keydets (Southern Conference) (1942–1943)
1942–43 VMI 8–87–57th
VMI: 14–1912–16
Total:35–49

[13][14]

Notes
  1. By the time he was a 24-year-old senior, his teammates had begun calling him "Papa Pooley" because he was so much older than them.

References
  1. http://www.vmi.edu/uploadedFiles/Archives/Records/Faculty/PooleyHubertobit.pdf
  2. "POOLEY".
  3. "National Football Foundation".
  4. Zipp Newman. "Alabama's grid stars of '20's put gravy in bowls".
  5. Woodruff 1928, pp. 7–8
  6. http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/alab/graphics/docs/24-m-footbl-recaps.pdf
  7. "Alabama Football - Bryant Museum". Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  8. "Atlanta Journals Picks S. I. C. All Star Team". Times-Picayune. December 8, 1924.
  9. http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/alab/graphics/docs/25-m-footbl-recaps.pdf
  10. "Legends of Alabama Football".
  11. Norman E. Brown (December 5, 1925). "Flournoy Best Kicker; Hubert The Cleverest Field General". The Daily News. p. 3. Retrieved March 3, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "All-Time Coaching Records by Year".
  13. 2013–14 VMI Basketball Fact Book
  14. "USM Men's Basketball 2013-14".

Bibliography
  • Woodruff, Fuzzy (1928). A History of Southern Football 1890–1928. 3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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