Valley loses a beloved member of its sports community

Feb. 16, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

PALMER - Vince Tubbs had two families.

First, there was his immediate family. He and Kory, his wife of 27 years, are parents of six children.

And then there was his Palmer football family.

Normally, the two sort of bled together.

On Tuesday, both families lost one of their most beloved. After a lengthy bout with colon cancer, Tubbs died at the age of 46.

Sports proved to be a special bond in each of his families.

He coached his children - daughters Brieann, Amber, Mitzi and Vanessa, and sons Steel and Eon - in a variety of sports.

Both Vince and Kory have been staples on the sidelines in sports ranging from youth soccer to Palmer Moose football. And he had the opportunity to coach alongside many of his lifelong friends.

Tubbs had a passion for sports and competition that was sparked at a very young age.

Brad Hanson, one of Tubbs' oldest friends, lived in the same Palmer neighborhood as the Tubbs family. Growing up, Hanson said, they played every sport conceivable, whether it was organized or not.

&#8220Sun up to sun down, all summer long,” Hanson said. &#8220He was one of those guys you could always count on if you needed to get out and get the sports fix.”

Tubbs played football for the all-Valley Palmer-Wasilla Falcons during his days at Palmer High School, and later wrestled at Ricks College, in Rexburg, Idaho.

Even after his playing days, Tubbs never lost that passion for sports. If anything, it grew as he got older. When he and Kory started a family, sports continued to be a big part of his life.

&#8220It was huge, that was our life,” Amber Tubbs said.

Tubbs coached teams in sports such as football, soccer, basketball and wrestling at one time or another. But it was football where Tubbs made the biggest impact in the community.

With the help of a few others, Tubbs is credited with resurrecting youth football on the Palmer side of the Valley. He got involved in 1987, and there he helped create a pipeline that consistently sent talent to Palmer High School and the Moose.

&#8220If it had not been for him, I don't think Palmer would have had a youth football program,” said Kay Omer, a longtime colleague and friend of the Tubbs family. &#8220He was a fixture in MYAC and MYFA.”

Those who knew Tubbs best have many, many things to say about him. And many of those things are similar. Words like community, commitment, dedication, passion and integrity are consistently used in descriptions of him. And all point toward how much Tubbs cared about not only athletics, but those he coached.

&#8220I've coached football for a lot of years, and I don't think I've ever loved the game like he did,” said Keith Armstrong, a longtime friend and colleague, and a high school teammate of Tubbs. &#8220Vince really loved football, and he'd do anything to be a part of it.”

That love of football was instilled in his players, something that Hanson said is as critical to the success of the Palmer youth and high school teams as anything.

‘The important thing is he gave them a foundation in football, but he also gave them a foundation for the love of the game,” Hanson said. &#8220So many times in youth sports, we sometimes forget to develop the love for the game, and the commitment to continue to play.”

Tubbs had a special personality that allowed him to have success with athletes, especially with those at the youth level.

&#8220During halftime talks, you couldn't tell whether his team was ahead or behind,” Omer said. &#8220He always had that calm demeanor.”

Not only did Tubbs understand the game, Omer said, he understood how to work with the kids.

&#8220They could trust him,” Omer said. &#8220That's the biggest thing you have to do with those kids, you have to gain their trust. They knew if he said it, it was right.”

And he could relate to the kids.

&#8220He was like a kid himself,” Amber Tubbs said. &#8220He always had fun, no matter what.”

Rod Christiansen, the head coach of the Palmer High football program and a classmate of Tubbs' at PHS, noted his positive nature.

&#8220He's a cup half-full guy,” Christiansen said. &#8220It didn't matter the situation. He had a positive focus.”

Tubbs officially became a part of Christiansen's coaching staff at PHS in 2002. But his contributions to Moose football started well before that.

&#8220He was really interested in how he could ultimately contribute to the success of the varsity teams by developing younger kids,” Hanson said.

Since Tubbs started coaching football at the youth level in Palmer, the Moose varsity squad has advanced to three state championship games. The Moose, a team that was made up predominately of players Tubbs had coached at the youth level, won the state title in 1995.

Christiansen, Hanson and Armstrong have made up the Palmer High varsity coaching staff for the last 12 seasons.

&#8220In that time we've had only one or two losing seasons,” Armstrong said.

Much of that success is attributed to the work of Tubbs.

&#8220He realized that his contribution to our football program was about keeping kids involved and developing skills at that level, so they could eventually contribute to the varsity,” Hanson said.

Off the field, Tubbs was much like he was on the sideline.

&#8220He was laid back, easy-going,” Armstrong said. &#8220He never got too up or too down.”

Armstrong said the only time he ever really saw Tubbs nervous or worked up was the night before Tubbs married Kory.

&#8220He was a little overwhelmed,” Armstrong said.

At home, Amber said her father was loving and devoted. Not only is he a father of six, Tubbs has five grandchildren - Kira, Harley, Kloie, Caleb and Gavin.

Tubbs was very involved with his church as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and taught Sunday school.

He liked to root for his favorite non-Palmer teams, the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Saints. And he'd routinely take the family on fishing trips.

With the love of sports, Tubbs passed along a desire to coach to his children. Last fall, Amber started coaching her brother Eon's youth football team. She also earned a college degree, with an emphasis in coaching.

Even after he was diagnosed with cancer, Tubbs continued to coach.

&#8220The biggest thing to me is the courage he showed when he was sick,” Hanson said. &#8220As coaches, we're all trying to teach life skills. I would say through the course of the last two seasons, he taught the ultimate life skill. He was very sick and we knew it, but that was never the focus. The focus was on the kids, the community, the program, his family - everything that was important to him.”

And the players had the utmost respect for Tubbs.

&#8220They understood he was giving everything he had to them, and deep down they loved him for it,” Hanson said.

Tubbs served the Palmer community in many ways - as a father, grandfather, teacher and coach. He worked for MTA for 25 years. He was a soccer referee for the Alaska School Activities Association. And he was a big part of Palmer football for more than two decades.

&#8220It won't be the same without him on the sideline,” Omer said.

&#8220I love him. I'm going to miss him,” Armstrong said. &#8220I know when I go into the locker room to start breaking down film, there will be a chair that won't have a physical body in it. But it won't be empty. Vince will be there.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.