2021 – Ken Hubbs Foundation honors 51 athletes from 25 local high schools
By ERIC-PAUL JOHNSON | The Press-Enterprise
The Ken Hubbs Foundation has chosen not to give out its overall boys and girls athlete of the year awards for the second consecutive year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision to not hand out the awards last year was made after the spring sports season was cut short at the start of the pandemic. Several sports had seasons shortened this school year, as well.
The committee is still honoring one boys athlete and one girls athlete from the 25 schools in the greater San Bernardino that are included in the program.
The awards are given in memory of Hubbs, who was a four-sport standout at Colton High School in the 1950s. He pursued a pro baseball career and was chosen the National League Rookie of the Year while playing for the Chicago Cubs in 1962. He was killed in an airplane crash prior to spring training in 1964.
The Ken Hubbs Foundation has honored area high school athletes since 1964, beginning with four schools and increasing to the current number in 2015.
The foundation also has picked a Keith Hubbs Memorial Award winner, given to a student-athlete who has overcome adversity, served the community, was persistent and inspiring and excelled in the classroom. The late Keith Hubbs was Ken’s brother, a football star at Colton High and BYU and the longtime president of the Ken Hubbs Foundation.
The 2021 Keith Hubbs Memorial Award winner is Paul Barajas of Indian Springs High School.