Newark Memorial High School’s (NMHS) football head coach Bradley Tubbs has officially retired after 20 years of service.
Tubbs joined the NMHS staff in 2006, became head coach of the Cougars in 2015 and led the program to four winning seasons.
In 2022, Tubbs coached the Cougars to the Mission Valley Athletic League Shoreline division title, the school’s first championship since 2012.
Before coaching, the Saint Mary’s College 6-foot-5 wide receiver may not have imagined himself impacting the lives he did. After two years as a starter with the Gaels, Tubbs went on to be signed by the Green Bay Packers in 1985, then the Los Angeles Raiders in 1986.
His play on the field also earned him recognition in the College Park High School Football Hall of Fame.
Before arriving at NMHS, Tubbs coached at Diablo Valley College and San Francisco State University. He credits college coach Ed Hall for sparking his interest in coaching.
“He was the head coach at the junior college with my brother,” said Tubbs. “In conversation with Ed Hall I ended up becoming inspired to become a coach.”
Tubbs coached under Hall at Diablo Valley, who he got in contact with during his time on the Los Angeles Raiders.
Despite these coaching positions, Tubbs wanted to make even more of an effect on young athletes’ lives. He realized the impact at the college level isn’t as great compared to the high school level.
“It’s not just about the game…but it’s being a brother, a son, a father, a student,” Tubbs said. “All those things [were] inspirational for me to end up having that interaction with the student athletes, to end up evolving as they became adults.”
He aimed to develop life-long values in his athletes and teach them lessons that would extend far beyond the field.
“If they’re willing to listen, to be able to understand what character integrity does through a lifetime to end up helping them be successful,” he said.
Tubbs’ role extended beyond the football field as well, serving as a helping hand to athletic director Rachel Kahoalii.
When he wasn’t planning for the next game, Tubbs could be found throwing uniforms in the washer or writing workout plans in the weight room.
After a tough few years, he decided it was the right time to retire. He was happy with the coaching staff around him which made it easier to hang up his boonie hat.
“The last three years have been a little bit difficult, [but] having successful assistant coaches around that can end up sharing the wealth of helping the students…it was just a process that went through,” he said about when the thought of retirement came up.
With nearly 20 years at Newark Memorial, Tubbs earned the respect of fellow coaches, staff members and generations of student-athletes through his commitment to the program and the relationships he built.
Those relationships, he said, are something he’s going to miss the most about coaching.
“Those are the things that I’ll miss because you don’t have them preorganised daily,” he said.
Andrew Alvarez, who has been on Tubbs’ coaching staff and was coached by Tubbs at NMHS, has been promoted to head coach for the Cougars’ next season.
“He was an excellent coach on my staff, I think he’ll do a great job of stepping in and doing the things that he wants to do,” he said. “He has his ideas of what he’ll do and he will implement them and the kids will end up being successful.”
