RUSSELL SCOTT (Russ or Rusty) HUBBARD
May 23, 1940 - March 24, 2020
Residence: Folsom, CA
Russell (Russ or Rusty) Scott Hubbard, 79, passed away March 24, 2020 after a fighting a battle with cancer. He was born in San Jose on May 23, 1940. He grew up in Palo Alto, California and lived on Fulton St. (Christmas Tree Lane). He attended Walter Hays Elementary School, Jordan Jr. High School and Palo Alto High School graduating in 1958. He was a very good athlete and played football at Paly High where he scored a touchdown at Stanford Stadium at the annual Thanksgiving Big Game against Sequoia High School. He went on to play football at Foothill College and San Francisco State.
Rusty lived in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills for many years and for the past few years made his home in Folsom, CA. Russ worked during his youth and early working career for Hubbard & Johnson Lumber Company (Palo Alto, Mtn. View, San Jose, Redwood City, Napa) which was founded by his father, Wesley (Bud) Hubbard (also former Santa Clara County Supervisor). Moving from the lumber business into construction, Russ owned Hubb-John Construction doing both residential and commercial construction. Later in his career he worked with Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction and DPR Construction.
Rusty was a fun loving guy who had many friends. He always had a twinkle in his eye and made everyone feel welcome. Russ greatly enjoyed the friendships he had at the Sainte Claire Club of San Jose. He had a great love of the outdoors and spent a lot of time hunting and fishing. He had the most incredible set of eyes for picking targets. He spent many weekends deer hunting near Mt. Hamilton and duck hunting in Los Banos. His high school buddies and hunting buddies were like family to him. Consequently, we have included a few comments from those that knew him well: George French: Rusty was always there when you needed a true friend. He was very generous, thoughtful, kind and full of humor, a best friend that will never be forgotten. I miss him.
Don McPhail: We played football from elementary school onward and Rusty was always one of the best. He looked and played like a winner, with style, confidence and good nature. That carried through his San Francisco State days,as an outstanding defensive leader on our championship teams.
Mike McClellan: A lifetime of friendship never forgotten. Always a competitor, great friend, and the best shot duck hunting I’ve ever seen.
Norm “Eli” Eliason: We were both involved in athletics in our school years. We met again at San Francisco State where Coach Rowen asked me to give football a try. Rusty then became my team-mate and mentor. We had a lot of fun together, and he constantly helped me cope with learning a new sport. R.I.P Rusty Mike Burke: Not only was Rusty a teammate at San Francisco State, he was also a roommate. Rusty provided humor, wild game from his hunting, and a debonair quality to the group. Great guy!
Roger Baer, next door neighbor: There were years of basketball games, mud ball fights and barbecues. We hunted ducks in Los Banos, rode bikes in the Stanford hills and partied hard. Russ was a killer running back at Paly and San Francisco State and was well respected by all.
Allen Abraham, SF State Defensive Coach: I remember Russ as a great athlete, a defensive leader, very sturdy, physical and enthusiastic. It was obvious Rusty enjoyed playing. He was well beyond an average player. He was also well liked and respected.
Russ is survived by his son Scott Hubbard and daughter Hayden Hubbard and 2 grandchildren. Bud and Bea Hubbard were Rusty’s parents and long-time Palo Alto residents. His surviving siblings are Mike Hubbard, Sid Hubbard, Taylor Hubbard and Lauren Cooper. A family memorial service will be held later this summer.