Hubie

Got a call from Ron “Hubie” Ridlehuber the other day.  He had just left his country club after a golf tournament and had been reminiscing about baseball with none other than former MLB player and Manager Phil “Scrap Iron” Garner.  Apparently while Garner was at the University of Tennessee, the Vols had played in the same college baseball tournament (different years) that the Mustangs got to attend in 1975 in Riverside, CA.  Some great Mustang stories came out of that trip, and Hubie and Scrap Iron swapped stories into the night. More to come later on that Riverside Tournament.

Hubie was our team captain, first baseman, cleanup hitter and the heart and soul of the Mustangs while I was at SMU.  He hit the ball hard and often, as they say.  Hubie gave me the nickname “Rookie” my freshman year which stayed with me all four years at SMU.  Attached is a link to some raw footage from an early season news story featuring Hubie discussing the Ponies’ upcoming 1974 season.  I make a cameo appearance toward the end, while catching in for John “Whale” Park while he was hitting ground balls. Amazing what can be found out there on the net.  Thanks for the link, Hubie!

Update 10/8/2025: Today, I just got the word that my friend Ron “Huber” Ridlehuber had passed away on September 18, 2025. Sadly, I was unaware of this at that time and was thereby unable to attend the celebration of his life in the Woodlands in Texas. Lots of people are feeling his loss: his wife Cheryl, son Kenny and the rest of his family of course; his SMU baseball teammates (including me, I’m proud be in this group), his colleagues, his Beta Theta Pi fraternity brothers, and the many others that were lucky enough to meet and know this very good man. He had been fighting cancer stoically and fiercely for several years, and it had been way too long since I had been able to visit him and Cheryl in Texas. There was a baseball reunion that had to be cancelled when he became ill, and I have lamented that that reunion never happened in the intervening years. We did instant message each other fairly often and I felt like our friendship never missed a beat.

I first met Huber on the baseball field. He was a returning Soph slugger/1st baseman, and I was a walk-on pitcher. He started calling me “Rookie” after I made the team, and he has called me that ever since. All I have to do is think about that and it makes me smile. When I pledged Beta, he became my big brother in the fraternity, further bolstering our friendship.

[As an aside, when I heard him talk about playing football at Tulsa Hale High School, I asked him if he knew my cousin (Ok, second cousin) Brent Blackman, who had starred at QB there and at OK State. Huber was very impressed at this coincidence. Huber was a tight end, and while he was in a different hs class, he likely caught a few passes from Brent.]

He was larger than life in my eyes, and loved and respected by many. A large and very successful life by any measurement you may choose. Final score: This earthly life 0, heaven 1. But what a game! Rest in Peace my friend. I know your pain has passed, and for that I am grateful. God Bless you and your family.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/ronald-ridlehuber-obituary?id=59554468