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Stubbs wraps up career at Lycoming

Brad Stubbs understands his place. He’s one of just five working pieces of a Lycoming offensive line. He’s one of thousands of letterwinners in the football program’s history.

But the senior center’s impact on the football program isn’t quite as simple as he makes it seem. He’s been an anchor over the last three seasons for the Warriors. He’ll finish his career Saturday as one of the best offensive linemen to ever put on a Lycoming uniform.

“He’s been really impressive in three-and-a-half years on the offensive line,” Lycoming coach Mike Clark said. “He’s been the best offensive lineman we’ve coached in our 11 seasons.”

Stubbs’ career will conclude Saturday when Lycoming plays at Franklin & Marshall in its first appearance in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series. It’s a career which has been one of the most successful along the offensive line in school history, and easily the most decorated in Clark’s 11-year tenure.

Since 2008 when Clark arrived, only Stubbs and Cody Moyer have twice been named first-team All-MAC in their careers. Tuesday, when Stubbs was named a first-team all-conference selection for the second consecutive season, he became the first offensive lineman in Clark’s tenure to garner All-MAC honors three times.

Stubbs glosses over the accolades because it’s not why he plays the game. Instead he praises those working around him on the offensive line. He discusses how he’s only one-fifth of the solution on the offensive line with every snap.

“It’s nothing that I’ve done that has changed this place. It’s the roots and everything that’s here,” Stubbs said. “This place would have been fine without me.”

But there’s a reason why defensive coordinator Steve Wiser was excited when Stubbs called to tell him he was leaving Bloomsburg University was open to coming to check out Lycoming again. Stubbs loved the campus and the atmosphere at Lycoming coming out of Curwensville High School. But he was offered a scholarship to Bloomsburg and decided to go that route.

It didn’t take long for him to realize Bloomsburg just wasn’t the fit he wanted. He re-opened his recruiting when he was given his release from Bloomsburg and visited other schools including Lycoming again. He again felt the importance of the football program on campus and loved its history. Coming from a Class A high school, he was excited about the small campus and student body. And he always felt like the coaching staff had his best interest in mind.

He initially thought he would be a defensive lineman at Lycoming, but was quickly moved to the offensive line, starting at tackle before moving to center when then offensive line coach Pat Taylor suggested going with a bigger player at center with their guards not being as big. Stubbs was a second-team all-conference selection that season despite just learning how to play center. He’s been a first-team selection the last two years to nobody’s surprise.

“We get to talk about our guys on an all-league conference call, but you can’t vote for your own players,” Clark said. “I think everybody in the league knows if he was on their team he’d be starting for them somewhere.”

It’s not just because Stubbs is supremely talented, though. He’s coupled the work to get better with his talent to become one of the most dominating offensive linemen in the league. He’s bench-pressed 480 pounds, squatted 630 pounds, and the Lycoming football twitter account this spring tweeted a video of the 6-foot-2, 300-pounder jumping up and grabbing the rim on the basketball court.

And as the offensive line has tried to fit the puzzle pieces in the last couple seasons, Stubbs has always been the anchor of the unit. He’s continually been the piece Clark and offensive line coach Sami Caygoz have never had to worry about.

“It’s a great feeling to be that guy, but there’s five of us up there,” Stubbs said. “Whoever gets the accolades doesn’t matter. The five of us will do whatever it takes to run the ball and protect (quarterback Elijah) Shemory. It feels good to be relied upon, but I think coach can rely on any one of us to do what I can do.”

“He’s really important to what we do, and he’s really talented. He was at Bloomsburg for a reason,” Clark said. “He possesses great physical and mental toughness. He hasn’t been healthy all year. In week 1 or 2, we wanted to limit Brad’s reps and I don’t know that we ever did because he just doesn’t want to come out. He works hard at it and he learns what everyone needs to do. Like all great players, he’s talented and then he puts in the work to become very good.”

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