When Ray Huelbig Jr. received word that both he and his father, Ray Sr., were being inducted into the Weehawken High School Athletic Hall of Fame together, the former basketball standout was more than elated.
"It was such an honor for me to go in with my father," said Huelbig Jr., a member of the Weehawken High School Class of 1967 who was named the Hudson County Player of the Year by the Jersey Journal during his senior year. "My father was my idol. I grew up reading his scrapbooks with all the articles about my father that my grandfather kept."
The elder Huelbig was a member of the Weehawken Class of 1937, and was also the finest basketball player of his time, earning All-County honors from both the Jersey Journal and the Hudson Dispatch.
In fact, during the elder Huelbig’s senior year of 1937, the Indians won the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association championship, defeating Memorial, 22-21, with the elder Huelbig tossing in 16 of Weehawken’s 22 points.
"Exactly 30 years later, the same thing happened to me," said Huelbig Jr., who was part of the famed Weehawken "H-Bomb Squad" of 1967 with teammates Tom Hoover and Tony Holm that defeated Snyder in the Jersey City Armory to win the HCIAA crown. "We won the county championship as well. It was pretty ironic."
In fact, both Huelbigs also won NJSIAA state sectional championships as well, some 30 years apart. However, when the induction dinner was held recently at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, there was a sense of sadness as well. Just five days before the ceremony, Ray Huelbig Sr. died.
"My Dad knew he was going into the Hall of Fame and wanted to be there in the worst way," said the younger Huelbig, who now resides in Rhode Island. "He was having trouble walking and we were trying to keep him strong enough so he could go to the dinner. We never thought he was going to pass away. It was a shock to all of us, so the feeling is a little bittersweet."
The Huelbigs were among five former Weehawken greats who received induction into the 10th annual Hall of Fame class. The others include Walter Johnson (Class of 1942), Pete Ellerbrock (Class of 1959), and Robert Rapone (Class of 1974).
Johnson, who still lives in town, was an outstanding basketball and baseball player in his day. As a basketball player, Johnson helped the Indians capture the 1942 NJSIAA Group II state championship, scoring 89 points in the five state playoff games, including 22 points in the state semifinals. Johnson earned All-Hudson County and All-State honors (along with teammate Eddie Schwob) that year.
"When we were in high school, the real world consisted of war," said Johnson, who enlisted for three years in the United States Army after graduating from Weehawken High School. "When I accepted the plaque, I aimed it toward the current graduating class, because these students could have very easily ended up going to war like us. Getting this award brought back good memories, especially those state playoff games. It was a fun night for me."
Ellerbrock, a retired member of the Weehawken Fire Department, was a standout football and baseball player, leading the Indians to the NJSIAA Group III state championship during his senior year, while earning a berth on the Hudson County team in the Hudson-Essex All-Star game.
Rapone, nicknamed "Tiny," was a standout football player, wrestler, and member of the track team, doing shot put and sprints, who attended the United States Military Academy in West Point and became a successful businessman in Kentucky.
Also that evening, the top senior athletes were presented with awards for their varsity participation. In all, 35 seniors received awards, with Alex Montanile receiving the Lester Purvere Award for being the top male athlete and Rianne Jodice and Maria Cortes sharing the Ernest J. Demontreux Award as the top female athletes.
"It very much caught me by surprise," said Jodice, who played softball for four years and basketball for two and is headed to New Jersey City University in the fall, majoring in special education and playing softball. "I actually thought others might get it. I thought I was the last one who would get it. It’s a very good feeling to get recognized. It was a really big surprise."
But the night belonged to Huelbig Jr., who remembered playing basketball with immortal NBA legend Dave Bing in the Highwood Avenue courts known as "Charlie’s Park" at the time. Huelbig had a brilliant career at Rhode Island College and was considered by the Providence Journal to be one of the top collegiate players to ever come out of Rhode Island.
"I really have some fond memories," said Huelbig Jr., who manages an auto collision repair shop in Rhode Island and still plays basketball in an over-50 league. "I remember those days at Charlie’s Park. You would have to get there early just to play and if your team lost, you might as well go home, because you wouldn’t get another chance."
The elder Huelbig was a long-time Weehawken police officer, who then owned a bar called Cahill’s in the Shades section and later served as a bartender at a few establishments before moving to Hazlet a few years ago.
"There really is a sense of sadness that my father wasn’t here to enjoy it," Huelbig Jr. said. "He was a great athlete in his era and he certainly would have enjoyed the night. It was nice to have those good memories come back."