Beloved Rutgers Disc Golfer Collapses On Course

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Do you ever play disc golf at the course on Cook campus at Rutgers University? A man who is known as a local "celebrity" among the Central Jersey disc golf community has tragically fallen ill, and his family is praying for his recovery.

Carl "Cubby" Cubbedge, 58, lives in Toms River, but he could be seen multiple times a week on the disc golf course at Rutgers. In fact, it was while playing disc golf at at Thompson Park in Jamesburg that Cubbedge suddenly collapsed on Tuesday, May 2. As an ambulance raced to get him to the nearest hospital, he needed to be resuscitated three times, his daughter said. Cubbedge had suffered blood clots in his lungs, which caused him to lose consciousness as well as block oxygen from getting to his brain. He has been at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital ever since, in a deep coma with severe brain damage.

"My Dad is hanging in there. He is breathing on his own and other stats look great. His eyes open from time to time but doctors say it's too early to give a prognosis yet," his daughter, Jessica Alongi, told Patch.

Cubbedge is not on an official disc golf team, but this retired veteran of the U.S. Navy has been playing the sport for nearly two decades. The Rutgers course was one of his favorite spots to play. And he often brought his 6-year-old grandson with him.

"You could find him there close to four to five nights a week," his daughter said. "Many who play the course at Rutgers either know him and have played with him or know of him. There is a whole community who are praying and wishing he could return to the course to play again."

Cubbedge's family is trying to raise money to help pay for his medical bills. They are asking anyone who knew Carl or played with him to visit their GoFundMe page.