Remembering Vic Kubu

When Manasquan beat West Deptford 28-0 last December 2nd it capped a
perfect season for the Warriors with many calling them among the best teams in Shore Conference history. Hundreds of people joined the celebration on the field which seemed like it would never end and many of them shared the same thought I had…if this is Vic Kubu’s final football memory than it’s a heck of a way to go out.

When I got the phone call early Sunday morning that Kubu had died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer and complications at age 65 I immediately went back to that December afternoon less than 9 months ago. Nobody wanted to say it but everyone thought it could be the final game of his legendary coaching career. Kubu never complained publicly but his close friends and assistant coaches knew how tough it was for him to handle the rigors of coaching while fighting the disease and treatments, which made him sick and weak.

His doctor wouldn’t let him on the field so the feisty Kubu coached from the press box and I remember him climbing down with a few minutes left in what would be the 263rd and final victory of his career. We were broadcasting the game on the radio and as he came down the stairs I gave him a smile and thumbs-up signal which he returned with a slight shake of his head. He then made his way across the field where he hugged players and coaches and as the game ended it seemed like the entire town of Manasquan made its way onto what was then Warrior Field and is now Vic Kubu Field. The name was changed in the spring and credit the Board of Education with making that appropriate change while Kubu was still alive.

The numbers tell you what a great coach he was. A record of 263-71-5 as a head coach, starting at Middletown North in 1975 before moving to his alma mater ten years later. 11 State Sectional titles, 10 of them with his beloved Big Blue Warriors, 18 Shore Conference Divisional titles, 7 undefeated seasons. As great as they are…those are just numbers. What you can’t always see is the impact Coach Kubu had on his players and the community he worked in and lived in. He made fall Saturdays a coming together which usually ended with another victory. Manasquan never had the best facilities and the field looks pretty much the same as when I was in high school. However what they had on the sidelines was a great coach who leaves a legacy and memories that will never be forgotten.