FARMVILLE, Va. — Longwood Athletics has announced a new partnership with Hubbard Peanut Company, bringing Hubs peanuts to hospitality and suite areas at select basketball games in the Joan Perry Brock Center during the 2026-27 season.

The partnership celebrates a family connection to Longwood that reaches back to the company's beginnings. Founder Dot Hubbard '47 and her daughter, Lynne Hubbard Rabil '75, both graduated from Longwood, and the university played a meaningful role in inspiring the family business.

"Longwood has been part of our family's story for generations, so this partnership means a great deal to us," said Marshall Rabil, CEO of Hubbard Peanut Company and Lynne's son. "My grandmother remembered sharing her peanuts with friends at Longwood before starting the business, and my mother carried those Longwood ties forward. We're proud to continue that connection by sharing Hubs with Lancer fans and supporting Longwood Athletics."

Encouraged by how much her Longwood classmates enjoyed her specialty peanuts, Hubbard began making them in her home kitchen and launched the company in 1954. Using a recipe learned while growing up on her father's Virginia peanut farm, she began making peanuts in her kitchen in Sedley, Va. What started as a way to earn extra income grew into a family business with customers far beyond Virginia.

Lynne Hubbard Rabil continued that tradition, following her mother into leadership of the company and helping build on its commitment to quality and customer service. Alongside Lynne's years of leadership, her sisters Terri Powers and Sandra Edwards, who also attended Longwood, have continued the family's involvement through service on the company's Board of Directors. Today, with Marshall Rabil serving as CEO, a third generation is carrying the family business forward.

"We're excited to welcome Hubs as a partner and share the Hubbard family's Longwood story with our fans," said Austin Shaver, Longwood's deputy athletics director for external operations. "There's a personal connection behind this partnership that makes it especially meaningful. Having Hubs products in the Joan Perry Brock Center gives us a chance to celebrate that history while adding something special to the gameday experience."

From peanuts shared among college friends to a family business now supporting Lancer basketball, the partnership brings the Hubbard family's connection to Longwood full circle.