Cubs 365, February 14

Every day in 2012, the Just One Bad Century blog will feature a story about this day in Cubs history. We're calling it Cubs 365.

On this day in 1964, the Cubs lost their second baseman in the most tragic way imaginable.

Ken Hubbs wasn't even 20 when he debuted for the Cubs in September of 1961, but he made enough of an impact to be named the starting second baseman in 1962. It was a rough year for the Cubs (they finished with their worst record ever—behind even the expansion Houston Colt 45s, and ahead of only the worst team of all-time, the '62 Mets), but it was a breakout year for Ken Hubbs. He won a gold glove for his play at second base and was named the Rookie of the Year.

One of the roughest transitions for Hubbs had been the travel schedule. He was terrified of flying. (His roommate Ron Santo vividly describes the sheer terror Hubbs felt every time the Cubs had to fly in his autobiography "For the Love of Ivy," a book we highly recommend)

Instead of letting it get the best of him, Hubbs tackled it head on and learned how to fly himself. The technique worked. He purchased an airplane (a Cessna 172) in November of 1963, and got his pilot's license in late January of 1964. By learning how to fly, he had conquered his fear.

On February 13th, he took his life-long pal Larry Doyle up in the plane from their hometown in California to Provo Utah, to visit Doyle's wife. On the way home, however, he made the mistake of taking off in a snowstorm. Ken Hubbs and Larry Doyle died when they crashed into a lake just five miles from the airport. Their bodies weren't found until two days later. Hubbs was only 22 years old.