Johnny Hubbard

{{Short description|South African soccer player}}

{{similar names|John Hubbard (disambiguation){{!}}John Hubbard}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}

{{Use South African English|date=January 2018}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Johnny Hubbard

| fullname = John Gaulton Hubbard{{Hugman|9528|access-date=5 March 2017}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|12|16|df=y}}

| birth_place = Pretoria, South Africa

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2018|06|21|1930|12|16}}

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=6}}

| position = Left winger

| youthyears1 = 1943–1947 | youthclubs1 = Berea Park

| years1 = 1947–

| years2 =

| years3 = 1949

| years4 = 1949–1959

| years5 = 1959–1962

| years6 = 1962–1964

| clubs1 = Berea Park

| clubs2 = Arcadia Shepherds

| clubs3 = Pretoria Municipals

| clubs4 = Rangers{{Cite web |url=http://rangers.co.uk/club/history/hall-of-fame/johnny-hubbard/ |title=Hall of Fame: Johnny Hubbard |publisher=Rangers Football Club |access-date=22 December 2016}}

| clubs5 = Bury

| clubs6 = Ayr United

| caps4 = 172

| caps5 = 109

| caps6 = 52

| goals4 = 77

| goals5 = 29

| goals6 = 5

| nationalyears1 = 1955

| nationalteam1 = Scottish League XI{{cite web|url=http://www.londonhearts.com/SFL/players/johnnyhubbard.html|title=Scottish Football League Internationals: Johnny Hubbard|work=Londonhearts.com|publisher=London Hearts Supporters' Club|access-date=3 December 2011}}

| nationalcaps1 = 4

| nationalgoals1 = 2

| nationalyears2 = 1956{{cite news |title=Ordeal for Scottish team at Ibrox |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z2lAAAAAIBAJ&pg=3921%2C1454565 |access-date=30 June 2019 |work=The Glasgow Herald |date=13 March 1956 |page=4}}

| nationalteam2 = South Africa XI

| nationalcaps2 = 1

| nationalgoals2 = 1

}}

John Gaulton Hubbard, MBE (16 December 1930 – 21 June 2018) was a South African footballer. Hubbard spent the majority of his career at Scottish club Rangers, and later played for English club Bury before ending his career back in Scotland with Ayr United. He was the first African player to compete in the European Cup, having played in October 1956 with Rangers versus Nice,{{Cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/best-worst-african-players-play-6619393 |title=The best and worst African players to play in Scotland as Victor Wanyama lands player of the year nomination |date=12 October 2015 |work=Daily Record |access-date=22 December 2016}} and also the first African player to score a goal in the competition.

He became one of the few players to score a hat-trick in an Old Firm match, which he achieved on 1 January 1955,{{cite news|url=http://www.scottishleague.net/archive/archive113.htm|title=Old Firm hat-tricks|work=scottishleague.net}}[https://www-tmp.thenational.scot/sport/17867985.andy-cameron-johnny-hubbard-beat-eight-celtic-players-two-polis-steward/ Andy Cameron on Johnny Hubbard's historic hat-trick against Celtic], The National, 30 August 2019 the only foreign player in Rangers' history to do so. Hubbard was nicknamed the "Penalty King" by Rangers fans, due to his exceptional record of 65 goals scored from 68 penalty kicks, 22 consecutively.{{Cite news |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Football%3A+THE+PERFECT+PENALTY%3B+Model+yourself+on+van+Nistelrooy+says...-a0102522683 |title=Football: The Perfect Penalty; Model yourself on van Nistelrooy says Johnny Hubbard (who scored 65 out of 68 for Gers). |last=McCarthy |first=David |date=29 May 2003 |work=Daily Record |access-date=22 December 2016 |via=Free Online Library}}

He left Rangers in 1959 with 172 appearances and 77 goals for the club, moving to Bury for £6,000. After three years at Bury he returned to Scotland, spending two years with Ayr United before retiring from football to work as a physical education teacher and a community sports development officer. In 2007, he was named an honorary member of the Rangers Supporters Trust, along with Mark Walters and Billy Simpson.{{Cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/rangers-penalty-king-johnny-hubbard-2420561 |title=Rangers penalty king Johnny Hubbard plays the game of his life with top memoirs in new book |last=Wilson |first=Mike |date=30 September 2015 |newspaper=Daily Record |access-date=22 December 2016}}

Hubbard died in June 2018, aged 87.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-john-hubbard-south-african-scottish-footballer-rangers-penalty-king-pe-teacher-sports-official-and-coach-1-4758396|title = Obituary: John Hubbard, South African-Scottish footballer, Rangers '˜penalty king', PE teacher, sports official and coach}}{{cite web |url=https://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/johnny-hubbard-1930-2018/ |title=Johnny Hubbard 1930-2018 |publisher=Rangers FC |date=21 June 2018 |access-date=21 June 2018}}