Sam Hubbard’s 98-yard run during Bengals playoff game spurs T-shirt frenzy

Cincinnati Bengals Defensive End Sam Hubbard gave football fans something to really get behind: Him. Because few of us would have outpaced his 98-yard run up the football field during the Jan. 15 AFC Wild Card playoff game between the Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens.

That run had Hubbard making a record-setting touchdown. The impressive trek on the gridiron left fans wanting more ... so much more that T-shirts featuring his face and feat have been popping up all over the internet.

Homage, an apparel store focused on local sports, music and culture, has released a shirt with an image of a young child watching Hubbard’s accomplishment on television. The shirt says “Ohio Fed” and is available for $36.

Cincy Shirts has turned a social media meme that says “Run, Hubbard, Run” into a T-shirt, too. It’s a play on the famous quote from the film “Forrest Gump.”

The company says lots of people want the shirt.

“This is one of the most requested tees we’ve ever had … and we’re honored to say this tee is officially supporting The Sam Hubbard Foundation. A portion of each shirt sold from cincyshirts.com/football goes directly to their cause.”

Cincy Shirts and Homage both sell their apparel online. Cincy Shirts has bricks-and-mortar locations in Hyde Park, Fort Mitchell and Over-The-Rhine, while Homage is located in Over-The-Rhine, Orange Village and Columbus.

Long before Hubbard was the man of the moment, he was the “Man of the Year.”

Earlier this season, the 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end was presented with a helmet decal designating him — for the second year in a row — as the club’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, one of the league’s most prestigious acknowledgements.

But after Sunday night, it might seem tough to equal the latter, though Hubbard — or “The Cincinnati Kid” as NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico excitedly referred to him during the broadcast of the AFC Wild Card game — is one of the rare players who could pull it off.

The 27-year-old defender went to Moeller High School.

Staff Writer Tom Archdeacon contributed to this report.