Track star to Panthers RB to Canadian Olympic flag football? Chuba Hubbard keeps dream alive

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Chuba Hubbard remembers the infinitesimal vividly. He was successful Hershey, Pennsylvania, a 9-year-old competing successful his archetypal planetary way conscionable and for the archetypal clip extracurricular of Canada. He had ne'er mislaid a race, but helium did that day, and afterward helium said helium "cried my eyes out'' successful embarrassment.

His way coach, Corrine Timmer, besides remembers the infinitesimal vividly due to the fact that of what Hubbard said to her afterward.

"He's like, 'This is conscionable the beginning, Coach. I'm going to the Olympics,''' recalled Timmer, who began coaching Hubbard arsenic a first-grader. "It was nonstop. He wanted to deed the large time. He wasn't satisfied with conscionable winning a contention present oregon there. He wanted to beryllium connected the satellite stage.

"But of course, shot became the bigger propulsion and sidetracked him from that Olympic goal.''

Fast-forward 17 years. Hubbard is doing other enactment with a Carolina Panthers adjunct manager aft a regular offseason workout. He's showing the aforesaid enactment ethic Timmer saw each time for way successful Edmonton, Alberta, lone present it's retired of a tendency to beryllium the champion moving backmost helium tin be.

But due to the fact that the league precocious voted to let players to vie successful emblem shot successful the 2028 Summer Olympics successful Los Angeles, Hubbard's puerility imagination has been reborn.

"Hell yeah!'' Hubbard told ESPN erstwhile asked if helium wants to correspond Canada. "I don't cognize the process oregon anything, but I program to inactive beryllium successful this league and thrive successful 2028. So, if they privation maine to go a portion of it, it would beryllium an honor.''

HUBBARD, A 2021 fourth-round draught pick, has risen from astir an afterthought successful the Carolina discourtesy down Christian McCaffrey to a centerpiece, pursuing the three-time Pro Bowler's departure successful 2022.

Hubbard had a career-high 1,195 rushing yards successful 2024, contempt missing the last 2 games with genu and calf injuries, and signed a four-year, $33.2 cardinal declaration successful November.

"He sets a modular for [the moving back] country and surely for the offense, adjacent successful the walk-throughs,'' Carolina manager Dave Canales said. "He knows what we're looking for and however we privation it to feel, and truthful helium conscionable benignant of champions the cause.''

But earlier football, Hubbard's archetypal extremity was to go an Olympic champion arsenic a sprinter. It began successful simple schoolhouse and inferior precocious erstwhile helium was mounting Canadian records successful the 100 and 200 meters for the Edmonton Olympic Track and Field Club.

It continued successful precocious schoolhouse erstwhile Hubbard represented Canada successful the 100 meters astatine the World Youth Championships, clocking a personal-best 10.55 seconds.

It was inactive live erstwhile helium went to Oklahoma State to beryllium a two-sport prima earlier focusing afloat clip connected football.

"He was similar 1 of my own,'' said Timmer, a idiosyncratic Hubbard calls his 2nd mom. "He was champion friends with my youngest son. Both dreamed of the Olympics from simple schoolhouse on.

"But arsenic helium told maine erstwhile helium went the shot route, 'I really, truly emotion football.' I was like, 'You spell prosecute your dreams.' Now he's going to person a accidental to spell to the Olympics successful football. I couldn't beryllium happier.''

There volition beryllium contention beyond NFL players, arsenic Canada has a nationalist emblem shot squad and CFL players could get into the mix. But erstwhile asked who mightiness capable retired a roster astir him, Hubbard didn't hesitate to rattle disconnected a database of NFL players from Canada.

Jevon Holland (S, New York Giants), Deane Leonard (CB, Los Angeles Chargers), Jesse Luketa (LB, Arizona Cardinals), Benjamin St-Juste (CB, Chargers), twins Sydney Brown (S, Philadelphia Eagles) and Chase Brown (RB, Cincinnati Bengals), and Neville Gallimore (NT, Indianapolis Colts).

"There's truthful galore guys present ... each the guys that I grew up with that made it into the league,'' Hubbard said with pride. "Even younger guys present that are coming up. I consciousness similar that would pb the charge.''

BUT FIRST HUBBARD wants to assistance the Panthers extremity a streak of 7 consecutive losing seasons, marque the playoffs and beryllium the enactment was close to enactment its religion successful him aft moving connected from McCaffrey.

"I privation to beryllium the best,'' Hubbard said. "I privation to beryllium great, chasing thing that lone I cognize I tin get and I tin achieve. Needless to say, I privation to triumph games. I privation to triumph a Super Bowl. I privation my teammates to person that stuff, arsenic well.''

In his archetypal crippled aft signing his hold Nov. 7, Hubbard had a career-best 153 yards rushing successful an overtime triumph against the Giants successful Germany. He had 152 yards and 2 touchdowns successful his last crippled earlier going connected injured reserve with a strained calf.

Perhaps Hubbard could person made much wealth by waiting to motion the extension, but helium isn't looking back.

"From wherever I travel from, the wealth I got is much than life-changing,'' said Hubbard. "It's generational.

"All I tin accidental is it came astatine the cleanable timing. I'm not truly looking astatine it similar I should person waited 2 games aboriginal oregon whatever. Things hap the mode they bash for a reason.''

Timmer understands. She watched Hubbard turn up with constricted finances. She knows what it means for him to beryllium capable to instrumentality attraction of his mother, who is connected disablement aft years arsenic a health-care giver.

"All helium wanted was that break,'' Timmer said. "That red-shirt twelvemonth astatine Oklahoma State was astir apt the hardest happening for him based conscionable connected waiting and waiting. He was always, 'Coach, enactment maine in. I'll amusement you what I tin do.'''

HUBBARD WILL HAVE backfield contention successful 2025, arsenic the Panthers signed escaped cause Rico Dowdle, who had 1,000 rushing yards past play with the Dallas Cowboys, and drafted Trevor Etienne (Georgia) successful the 4th round, though 2024 second-rounder Jonathon Brooks volition miss the play with his 2nd torn close ACL.

But successful his quest for the 2028 Olympics, Hubbard hopes to rekindle the memories of erstwhile helium was 16, representing Canada successful the 100 meters astatine the World Youth Championships, clocking a idiosyncratic champion 10.55 seconds and conscionable missing retired connected a medal.

Among those who bushed him was Japan's Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, who went connected to go a two-time Olympian and scope the men's last successful the 100 metre astatine the 2023 World Athletics Championships successful Budapest, Hungary.

"[Hubbard] was going against athletes who were astir 20, and helium was a 16-year-old astatine that time,'' Timmer recalled. "And helium placed fifth, which is simply a beauteous unthinkable feat.''

Timmer has nary uncertainty Hubbard could person go an Olympian successful way had helium not played football, which took a toll connected his assemblage and made preparing for way play and mounting records difficult.

"If helium had the other years of grooming successful way without the shot injuries, helium easy could person been successful the Olympics,'' Timmer said. "To person that accidental present to harvester some his Olympic imagination and shot into 1 is beauteous incredible.''

Hubbard can't hold for the accidental to vie for the Canadian Olympic squad and look the United States, the presumptive favorite.

"Yeah! You're asking the incorrect guy,'' Hubbard said with a grin erstwhile asked if Canada tin triumph the golden medal. "I'm going to accidental we're going to triumph nary substance what.''

It each goes backmost to the mentality Timmer saw aft that nonaccomplishment successful Hershey.

"I don't cognize wherefore arsenic a kid I thought that,'' Hubbard said. "But from that infinitesimal connected I was like, 'I'll ne'er lose. I'm going to beryllium large successful everything I do.'''