Joe Staub - Outstanding Athlete

They called Joe Staub the record breaker. At Cantwell High School, Cal State Northridge, Glendale College and the University of Nebraska, Staub broke records almost every time he threw the shot put and discus and many of those marks still stand.

He was not a man of giant size or stature, 6-feettall and 220 pounds, but his technique, speed of foot and the will to toss a 16-pound ball of metal as far as he could made him very tough to beat every time he stepped into a shot put ring.

As a Vaquero in 1980, Staub became the only track and field athlete in school history to win two state titles in one meet, in the discus at 180-2 and the shot put mark of 62-5 ¼,that still stands as a GCC track and field school record over thirty years later. He was named team captain at Glendale, outstanding performer and most valuable athlete as well conference champion and as well as the most valuable athlete at the state meet.

“Joe’s athletic accomplishments speak for themselves. You would never meet a finer man. Joe was a leader and inspiration to his team. He dedicated himself to his academic studies and his athletic training with throws coach Art Venegas,’’ said former GCC track and field head coach Tom McMurray, a 2008 hall of fame inductee. “Because of athletes like Joe Staub, we had a wave of talented athletes coming to Glendale College. Joe has continued to be a leader and inspiration to his community with his ministry and his coaching.’’

Before attending Northridge, Staub won a CIF title as a junior at Cantwell in 1977and then continued his winning ways at CSUN by setting a national record in 1979with a put of 63-1 to win the event and then placing second in the discus with a throw of 174-3 to earn All-American honors.“

I could never overstate the importance of Coach Art Venegas in my life as a coach and a friend. He was the first coach to really connect with me on an emotional level and that allowed me to improve my physical and mental skill set. I really thrived under his guidance at both Northridge and Glendale, “ Staub said. “My time at Glendale was very special not just for the accomplishments, but for personal growth as a student-athlete in a time when the atmosphere was ripe with great coaches and athletes and really prepared me well for moving on to Nebraska and the rest of my life.’’

Staub continued to set records and win accolades at Nebraska including the Big 8 Conference Championship in the shot put during the indoor and outdoor seasons with a school record put of 65-2 ¾ inches and a best discus toss of 181-5 and being named All-American. He also competed in and won several weightlifting competitions in Oregon and Arizona after his college career was over.

Still feeling the competitive fire, Staub channeled that into coaching young people as well as sons Joseph and Jessie who were tremendous track and field in their own right. In 1993 he earned his certificate of Ordination into the Presbyterian Church of America after earning his Masters of Divinity at the Western Conservative Baptist Seminary.