When Marvin Lewis returned to Paycor Stadium last year with the Raiders for the first time since Sam Hubbard was a rookie on the last Bengals team he coached, Hubbard hunted him down in pregame.
“The Lone Soldier,” said Lewis with a hug, knowing Hubbard was the last Bengal to play for him.
So, Lewis was a bit taken aback Wednesday when Hubbard announced his retirement after seven seasons in the league. But he quickly welcomed him to the land of Bengals legends.
“A great career,” Lewis said. “Obviously, the plays he made during the run to the Super Bowl were incredible. But the most important thing is he’s just an outstanding person, teammate, gave it his all. I wish him the very best.”
That was pretty much the sentiment as Bengaldom absorbed the news that “The Cincinnati Kid,” had grown up and is embracing his next life.
It was the reaction of one of those teammates who already has legendary status. Bengals All-Pro sacker Trey Hendrickson and Hubbard are destined to go down in franchise lore together as the bookend Bash Brothers at defensive end on the Super Bowl defense.
“It was an honor and privilege to play beside him,” said Hendrickson, the NFL reigning sack leader who teamed with Hubbard for 79 sacks, the most of any pair of ends on the same team since 2021.
Hendrickson has 52 of them. But in so many of their biggest plays, they’re in the same frame crashing the quarterback, or the ball, or both.
“I think he’s one of the strongest willed people I’ve been a part of,” Hendrickson said. “Relentless. Work ethic. Diet. Extra. What more could you do to be the best Sam Hubbard he could be. He pushed me to be the best Trey Hendrickson every day. When you’re competing with a guy at the highest level, you get better when we’re both going 100 percent. He pushed me. I hope I pushed him. God bless him and his family as he goes into the next chapter.”
The next chapter is still in Cincinnati. Wednesday’s
word soon reached Anthony Munoz that Hubbard’s goal is now putting his endeavors with the Sam Hubbard Foundation on a par with the community titans of the Anthony Munoz Foundation and the Ken Anderson Alliance.
“That’s quite a compliment. I’m flattered,” says Munoz, the Pro Football Hall of Fame left tackle. “I’m shocked. But good for him. It’s a tough decision. I’m sure he feels good about it.
“He’s got something to focus on. I’ve talked with his guy Matt Kittell (executive director of the Hubbard Foundation) and they do a phenomenal job. How cool is that? He grew up here, went up the road to play, came back and made a career. It’s rare. I think of Derrick Brooks growing up in Florida, playing at Florida State, then Tampa. But it’s rare. I know he’ll continue to do great things here.”
Ken Anderson, the Bengals Ring of Honor quarterback who is the club’s first NFL Man of the Year for his good works in Cincinnati, is still doing it 50 years later. He welcomes Hubbard to the fold.
“Look at all the former players who live here. So many of them have stayed because it’s a great place to raise a family,” Anderson says. “You don’t have to have a foundation like Sam Hubbard or Joe Burrow to give back. You see a lot of players out there on their days off giving back. “
With a nod to Hubbard’s 98-yard Rumble in the Jungle, Anderson knows a local icon when he sees one.
“He’s made Moeller (High School) proud, he’s made Ohio State proud, he’s made Cincinnati proud,” Anderson says. “He might have had the most impactful play in Bengals history. I’m trying to think of another one.”
