Walter J . Zable Walter Joseph Zable ( June 17 , 1915 – June 23 , 2012 ) was an American businessman , entrepreneur , former semi - professional football player and standout college athlete . He was the founder , chairman and chief executive officer ( CEO ) of Cubic Corporation , a public corporation providing military defense equipment and automated fare collection equipment . At the time of Zable ' s death , he was the world ' s oldest public company CEO and Cubic was worth 1 . 28 billion dollars . Earlier in his life he had played semi - professional football for the Richmond Arrows in the Dixie League . Some sources also mention him as having played for the National Football League ' s New York Giants , although no official Giants records exist of him having suited up for the team . Early life and college . Walter J . Zable was born in Los Angeles , California . However , he grew up in Boston , Massachusetts during the Great Depression while his father worked as a mill worker . Before Zable even reached high school he had already taken a keen interest in electronics . During the daytime he would work on his athletic ability — specifically his football , baseball and track and field prowess — and at nighttime he was enrolled in Boston Trade School where he would take classes at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Wentworth Institute of Technology . Years later Zable recounted that " electronics and athletics were [ his ] life . " He graduated from high school in 1933 . Zable earned a full athletic scholarship to the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg , Virginia . He chose William & Mary over Harvard University which was much closer to home and also offered him an academic scholarship . Zable suited up for the Indians football team from 1934 through 1936 . He enjoyed success on the gridiron and earned honorable mention All - America accolades his senior year . In addition to football , Zable also lettered in baseball , basketball , and track and field . Post college . Football and business careers . Shortly after graduating college in 1937 with a bachelor ' s degree in physics , Zable played semi - professional football . He suited up for the Richmond Arrows in the short - lived Dixie League . After a year of playing football , he enrolled in the University of Florida Graduate School and earned his master ' s degree in physics in 1939 . Zable then moved on to business . Prior to starting Cubic Corporation in 1951 , Zable worked for Sperry Gyroscope Company , Federal Telecommunications Laboratories of ITT , Flight Research Company , and Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company . Along the way he married his first wife , Betty Virginia ( Carter ) Zable , and then they moved to southern California . He began Cubic Corporation in 1951 to launch his first product , a device used to measure and test microwave output . Over the next six decades , Zable would expand Cubic Corporation into a billion dollar - plus engineering giant that employs approximately 8 , 000 people worldwide . Philanthropy . Walter J . Zable and his late wife , Betty Virginia Zable were philanthropist as well . In 1990 , for instance , they donated $ 10 million to their " alma mater " , and in return they named their football stadium after him . Back in 1971 , he " established the Walter J . Zable / San Diego Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame ( NFFCHF ) to help preserve the genuine sportsmanship and integrity exhibited in high school and college football , " according to an official San Diego City Council proclamation in honor of his 90th birthday . Players such as Junior Seau and Mark Malone benefited directly from this NFF chapter . Recognizing his contribution to both athletics and his fellow man , the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) bestowed him with the Theodore Roosevelt Award in 1987 , which is the highest honor the NCAA confers . Past winners include George H . W . Bush , Bill Cosby , and Bob Dole . Death . On June 23 , 2012 , Zable died at age 97 from natural causes . At the time of his death he was survived by his son Walter C . Zable , daughter Karen ( Zable ) Cox , and five grandchildren . He was the world ' s oldest public company CEO and Cubic was worth 1 . 28 billion dollars .