The Lubbock Hubbers carried the "Hubbers" name for nearly two decades before their single Big State League season in 1956. The franchise had played in the West Texas-New Mexico League from 1938 through 1942, resumed after the wartime suspension in 1946, and ran through 1955, thirteen seasons in all under the same name, before shifting to the Big State League. "Hubbers" came from Lubbock's self-styled identity as the "Hub of the Plains," a reference to its role as the commercial and agricultural center of the South Plains cotton country.
The name had a parallel history that ran alongside the white professional franchise. The Lubbock Black Hubbers, a semi-pro team founded in the late 1920s by Bob and Earl Johnson, played on a field between College Avenue and the Clovis Highway and were considered one of the most outstanding Black baseball teams in Texas, competing against other Black teams across the region. The white Hubbers refused to sign Black players. According to local accounts, an arranged game between the two clubs was called off by the white Hubbers around the fourth or fifth inning, reportedly to avoid the embarrassment of losing.
Nineteen fifty-six also happened to be the year a nineteen-year-old Lubbock musician named Buddy Holly was beginning to record in earnest, cutting the sessions that would lead to Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico and produce the records that made him famous.
The design leans into the ranching and agricultural identity that defined the South Plains around Lubbock. A flat-brimmed cowboy figure leaning on a bat represents the kind of character you would find on any cotton farm or cattle spread across the Llano Estacado in the 1950s. The "Hub of the Plains" identity was agricultural as much as commercial, and the working ranch country surrounding the city provided the visual character the Hubbers name alone could not quite supply on its own.
The Big State League was a Class B circuit that ran from 1947 through 1957, fielding teams exclusively from across Texas. Named for the state's reputation as the nation's largest, the league stretched from the Gulf Coast to the plains of West Texas, bringing professional baseball to cities the higher-classification Texas League had never reached.
Retro Baseball Revival celebrates historic baseball teams with unique apparel, honoring their legacy and bringing history to one-of-a-kind clothing with our old school retro baseball tees from defunct Minor League Baseball teams. All of our high quality apparel is designed, printed, and shipped within the USA. This collection features 100% original designs based on the history and nicknames of historic minor league teams.
Our premium lightweight shirts are the hugely popular Bella+Canvas brand 3001 tees. They are much lighter and thinner feeling than a traditional heavyweight tee. They also are more form fitting and feel more snug. These are generally 90% to 100% cotton, although please note that heather colors in this item are 52% cotton.
Size Guide: Fit is true to size or a little snug. Considering ordering one size up if you are normally between sizes.
Brand: Bella Canvas | Product ID: 3001
- Made with 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, a lightweight fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²)) that is easy to layer, breathable. Perfect for active and leisure wear.
- The retail fit that is perfect for casual and semi-formal settings. The crew neckline adds a classic, neat style that's perfect for accessorizing.
- Bella+Canvas manufactures all its products in the US and internationally in humane, no-sweat-shop, sustainable way and is part of the Fair Labor Association as well as Platinum WRAP certified.
- The tear-away label minimizes skin irritations.
- Fabric blends: Ash and Heather Prism colors - 99% cotton, 1% polyester; Heather and Solid Blend colors - 52% cotton, 48% polyester; Athletic Heather and Black Heather - 90% cotton, 10% polyester.
