The following four individuals will be inducted into the Hubner Athletic Hall of Fame at La Porte High School between the JV & varsity boys basketball games vs Munster on February 24th.
Dale Lubs
Dale Lubs was a talented football end who could catch the ball and out-run most opponents at Central Junior High. However, as a La Porte High sophomore, he was forced to try distance running because his father wouldn’t sign the football permission slip. Today, at age 79, he concedes, “My life would have been totally different, because I might not have gone to college.” He never had heard of cross country as a sophomore, but finished ninth in the state meet over the 2-mile course. In track that spring he placed fourth in the state mile. As a junior he won every cross country race, including the 1954 state championship in 10:03.6. During track he placed second in the state mile to Warsaw star Max Truex. He won every cross country race as a senior until sickness the day of the state meet cost him a repeat title. His senior year in track he won every mile race, sloshing through 2 inches of rain to win the 1956 state title in 4:29.5. That spring he was named the WLOI Most Outstanding Senior Athlete and accepted a full scholarship to the University of Kansas over offers from Duke and Indiana. He really wanted to attend Purdue, but no scholarship was offered. He earned two letters in both cross country and track before a foot injury helped end his college career. His best mile time was 4:13.1 as a sophomore. He was a track teammate of four-time Olympic discus champion Al Oerter and basketball superstar Wilt Chamberlain (a high jumper). In 2004 Dale was enshrined in the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame. He has maintained his running prowess and won several age-group triathlons in his 60s and early 70s.
Bill Reed
If any LaPortean ever deserved the title of “Mr. Tennis,” it would be Bill Reed, who launched an amazing career by winning four varsity letters at La Porte High and being MVP his final three seasons. As a senior he led the Slicers (9-0) to the NIC title and shared No. 1 player honors with an 8-1 record. Bill also lettered twice in basketball. In 1966 he received a scholarship to Ball State University and played four more years of tennis, culminating his career with a team-best 16-7 record as a senior in 1970 and winning two rounds at No. 3 singles in the NCAA tourney. Then his career really took off. He won numerous city and county titles, coached the Indiana Junior Davis Cup team for six years and launched a long career coaching tennis at LPHS. He coached boys teams for 22 years and girls teams for 20 years, posting a sparkling 607-225 record, the best in school history. Combined, his teams won 12 conference, 23 sectional and 10 regional championships. In 1996 he was named Indiana Girls Coach of the Year. In 1999 the City of La Porte named the Kesling Park facilities the “Bill Reed Tennis Complex.” One year later he received, perhaps, the greatest honor of his career when he was inducted into the Indiana Coaches Tennis Hall of Fame. However, his most incredible work has lasted for an amazing 50 years – he started the La Porte Park & Recreation Department summer tennis program when he was 18 years old and still is in charge. He was inspired to be an athlete by his father, Harold Reed, a former Slicer baseball coach, and will join his brother, Dave Reed, also a former Slicer athlete and baseball coach, in the Hubner Hall of Fame.
Doug Schreiber
Doug Schreiber is one of the most successful players produced by Indiana’s premier high school baseball program. Playing for his Hall of Fame father/coach, Ken Schreiber, Doug earned four varsity letters, climaxed by the Slicers’ 23-7 state championship in 1982. He was LPHS captain and MVP, No. 1 Male Senior Athlete, first-team All-State shortstop and won the coveted L.V. Phillips Award for mental attitude. He set state records for a career with 141 runs scored, 145 hits and 240 career assists and state season records with 50 runs scored and 102 assists. His career batting average was .364 with 81 stolen bases. Doug also was an offensive and defensive back in football for three years, being named MVP as a junior and captain as a senior. Doug attended Purdue University on a baseball scholarship and played second base for four years. He helped the Boilermakers to a school-record 37 victories in his senior year, 1986, while making second-team all-Big Ten, Doug set four career school records for games played (226), triples (9), runs scored (159) and walks (132). After working in private business for a while, he accepted the assistant coaching position at Ball State University in 1990. He took a similar post at Butler University in 1993, moved to Notre Dame in 1994 and then to Arizona State in 1995. In 1998 ASU was second in the NCAA College World Series and Doug took the head coaching position at Purdue in 1999. Though he broke Purdue’s career record for most victories (485 in 18 years), his best year was 2012 when he guided the Boilermakers to the Big Ten league (first since 1909) and tourney championship and was named conference Coach of the Year. Pro baseball drafted 33 of his players with five reaching the Majors.
Mark Yates
Mark Yates was a rarity even in his era (1969-71), because he played three sports and earned seven varsity letters. But he made his biggest mark as a catcher and hitter in baseball. During his three-year baseball career, Mark helped the Slicers to an 82-17 won-lost record, made all-conference for two years and served as captain during his senior year while also earning the A.Lee Fuller mental attitude award. His senior batting average was a solid .310. Mark climaxed his senior year by helping the Slicers win the state baseball crown and being named winner of the coveted L.V. Phillips Award at the finals. Despite facing sweltering heat in Lafayette, Mark became the first player in state history to hit a home run in the championship game. During an excellent basketball career, he started two years and finished with 448 points and 378 rebounds as a 6-foot-3 center-forward. He gained his love for basketball through his father, Bill Yates, who was a prominent basketball coach at Union Township and Springfield Township. He played quarterback and defensive back for two years in football. Mark then continued his baseball career at Ball State University. As a senior in 1975 he served as team captain and batted an excellent .333. He played independent baseball in later years and launched a career coaching high school baseball. His teams won over 200 games during an 18-year career coaching at Wheeler and Boone Grove. His career highlight probably came in 1979 when he guided Wheeler to a sectional championship by beating Valparaiso. He later coached basketball for two years at Westville where he also served as athletic director. He ended his career as a principal for four years in South Bend and seven years at Westville before retiring in 2013.