From left to right: Jade Brubaker, Julie (Hubbard) Brubaker holding a picture of her mother Judy Hubbard, Tom Hubbard and Susan Hubbard.

All in the Charger Family | A Sports Legacy

Throughout the history of Lancaster Bible College athletics, multiple couples in the same family have made an indelible impact on Charger sports teams and on LBC as a whole.

Tom Hubbard spent six years at LBC as both the head coach of the men’s basketball team and as the college’s Athletic Director, leaving a lasting influence on the Chargers athletics program. He chalked up 50-plus wins from 1976 to 1982 and is tied for the second-longest coaching tenure in program history along with the fourth-most wins for a men’s basketball coach. While serving as AD, Hubbard was approached by several students about starting a college baseball team. The dream of a baseball diamond became a reality, and Hubbard coached the team in 1980 and 1981, with a two-season record of 22-8. Chargers baseball will celebrate its 45th season in 2024.

Judy Hubbard, who passed away in 1988, also spent time coaching at LBC, serving as the field hockey coach from 1977 to 1981. During those five seasons, Coach Hubbard compiled a record of 25-21-6, and her success on the field places her as the coach with the most wins and highest winning percentage in program history. She also coached women’s basketball for one season in 1981-82. The Hubbards’ impact on the college has led to the growth and success of the LBC athletics program to this day, especially as the family tradition is carried on by their daughter, Julie.

Julie (Hubbard) Brubaker has greatly contributed to the LBC women’s volleyball program for nearly a decade. From 2014 to 2019, she served as an assistant coach for the program—a six-year span that included three different head coaches. Then in September 2020, a new season of consistency began when she took the reins as head coach. Unfortunately, her inaugural season as head coach was canceled due to COVID-19, but in two full seasons at the helm, Brubaker amassed a record of 29-27, as the team looks forward to more success in the 2023 season.

Julie’s husband, Jade Brubaker, is the fourth piece in the Hubbard-Brubaker family coaching tradition. Jade began leading the LBC men’s volleyball team in 2014, and while this Coach Brubaker’s first three seasons left a lot to be desired, he turned the team into a powerhouse. Since 2017, Jade’s overall record is 140-47, and he’s led the Chargers to a championship in both the NEAC and CSAC conferences, earning four Coach of the Year titles along the way. Jade also holds the record for most wins as a head coach for the men’s volleyball program, as he and Julie continue to impact many LBC student-athletes, both on and off the court, as they also raise their four children in Lancaster.

Tom and Judy also led a missionary life, leaving LBC for Japan in 1983 to teach at a mission school in Okinawa, where Julie spent part of her childhood. After Judy’s passing five years later, the family returned to the U.S. on furlough. Tom eventually met Susan Humphries, also on furlough from the mission field in Hungary. They married and returned to Japan until 1994, when Susan Hubbard began her own five-year service to LBC as Dean of Women at the suggestion of then-college administrator Ray Naugle. Tom and Susan served another 10 years on the mission field in Poland and Germany after her time at LBC.