Junius Bibbs

Junius Alexander Bibbs (October 31, 1910 – September 11, 1980), nicknamed "Rainey", was an American infielder in baseball's Negro leagues from about to .

Bibbs was a star fullback at Indiana State University. While at college, he began playing with the Indianapolis ABCs and the Detroit Stars in the Negro Leagues. In 1937, he was selected to the West squad of the All-Star game. Biggs also played for the Chicago American Giants and the Kansas City Monarchs. With the Monarchs, he won three Negro American League Pennants in 1939, 1940, and 1941. He finished his career in 1944 with the Cleveland Buckeyes.

The Bibbs family, including his sister Eloise, moved to Terre Haute, when he was about 10 years old. While there, Bibbs attended Paul Lawrence Dunbar Elementary school and lettered in track, baseball and football at the former Wiley High School, from which he was graduated in 1927. He was one of the 7.7 percent of the African American population older than age 25 that had a high school diploma in 1940.

The Indiana State years Though many African Americans chose to attend historically Black colleges and universities in the South, Bibbs opted to remain in his own community and attend what was then Indiana State Teachers College, now known as Indiana State University. In 1937, Bibbs became one of the 1.3 percent of African Americans who had a four-year college degree by 1940. his absence in an October 1935 game is given as a reason for the team's 12–0 loss against Cape Girardeau.

Bibbs was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Baseball career While attending college, the switch hitter began his baseball career, playing with the Indianapolis ABCs and the Detroit Stars. His 1937 record with the Cincinnati Tigers—reportedly batting .404 that season—led to his selection to the West squad of the All-Star game. Elizabeth Brizentine-Taft also reported in The Indianapolis Recorder that Bibbs at one time played first base for the "Grays," presumably the Homestead Grays.

Part way through his season with the Chicago American Giants in 1938, he was recruited to the legendary Kansas City Monarchs. From 1938 to 1941, he was a starter for the Monarchs, playing second base and helping the team win three (1939–1941) Negro American League Pennants. He finished his career in 1944 with the Cleveland Buckeyes.

It was during his baseball years that Bibbs acquired the Negro Leagues nickname, "Rainey." As the story goes, a reporter asked Bibbs for the spelling of his first name, which often was misspelled and mispronounced by others. Rather than endure having to spell and respell his name, Bibbs suggested the reporter just call him "Rainey" since it was raining that day.

High school coaching career In 1947, Bibbs began his teaching and coaching career at Indianapolis' Crispus Attucks High School, a historically Black high school. Bibbs taught in the Indianapolis Public Schools system from 1947 to 1972, spending 23 years at Crispus Attucks and two years at Thomas Carr Howe High School, retiring in 1972.

As director of intramural athletics, Bibbs helped establish intramural sports, including basketball, volleyball and track in 1952 at Crispus Attucks. That same year, he also coached wrestling as a varsity sport for the first time in the school's history. and 12 have been inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

Commitment to education Bibbs' commitment to education started in the classroom rather than on the sports field. As a first-generation college graduate, he was committed to helping later generations of African-American students attend college at Indiana State as an active member of the Statonians alumni association, which raised money for scholarships. He served as vice president of the Statonians from 1971 to 1972.

Posthumous honors Bibbs died near age 70 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

On June 20, 2015, Bibbs was awarded the Coach & Educator Award by the Crispus Attucks High School Alumni Lettermen's Club.

Photo of a grave at Crown Hill Cemetery provided to Wikimedia Commons by Crown Hill Foundation.

Bibbs also is listed as a notable African American by Crown Hill Cemetery, where he is buried, and on the University of Kentucky Library's Notable Kentucky African Americans Database.