On Dec. 8, Hubbard became the second Canadian to crack the 1,000-yard plateau and needs 159 yards in the Carolina Panthers’ final two regular-season games to surpass Mayes’ single-season mark.
“I’m cheering for him to do it,” Mayes said. “I did what I did 38 years ago and being the first (Canadian) to do it, I feel a lot of pride about that.
“But now it’s Chuba’s time. It (1,353 yards) is definitely within reach and I think Canadians should be really proud to know there’s a homegrown player who’s doing that on a big stage like that. The big thing is to stay healthy and have the opportunity but Chuba is in position to do that.”
Carolina (4-11) finishes its season on the road against division rivals Tampa Bay (8-7) and Atlanta (8-7), which are tied atop the NFC South and still have plenty to play for.
What’s more, Tampa Bay’s defence is ranked 10th against the run (104 yards per game) just ahead of Atlanta (111.9
“He’ll have to earn it,” Mayes said. “These are two good running teams and I learned when I played that teams that have good running games are good against the run because that’s what they practise.
That boosted Hubbard’s season total to 1,195 yards (4.8-yard average) with 10 TDs. Last month, Hubbard signed a four-year contract extension worth US$33.2 million.
Carolina selected Hubbard in the fourth round of the ’21 NFL draft out of Oklahoma State.
Mayes is currently the regional partnerships and philanthropy officer at Seattle Children’s Hospital. He and his wife of 37 years, Marie, have two sons, Logan (a senior financial analyst for Amazon) and Kellen (a third-year medical student at the University of Washington).
“I have good genes from my dad and mom. My dad is 93 years old. I have a lot of gratitude for my life, with a lot more to go.”
New Orleans selected Mayes in the third round of the ’86 NFL draft following a stellar career at Washington State. Twice the Pac-10’s offensive player of the year (1984-85) and a consensus All-American (’84), Mayes set single-season (1,632) and career (3,519) rushing records while also setting a then NCAA record for single-game rushing yards (357 versus Oregon in 1984).
“I remember once we had training camp against the Chicago Bears and I got to meet Walter Payton in person, who was one of my idols, and that year I beat him in rushing and it was like it doesn’t matter if you’re from North Battleford, Sherwood Park or Toronto, Chuba can be the best in the NFL and that’s exciting.
