“Through the years I have had wonderful relationships with many members of the sports writing profession,” once said legendary UT football All-American and coach, Johnny Majors. “But none of them have been more rewarding and more trusting than my relationship with John Bibb.” A fine compliment for a respected journalist who spent most of his life in Nashville. Bibb was born in Hope, Rhode Island, in 1926, but moved to Tennessee at an early age. He started his newspaper career in 1942 as copy boy for “The Tennessean.” Fifty-one years later, Bibb had amassed an impressive record with the newspaper. Most notably, his reporting career included high school sports, Vanderbilt athletics, and local and professional golf. In the latter category, Bibb covered forty-three consecutive Masters golf championships in Augusta, Georgia. In 1970 Bibb succeeded Raymond Johnson as sports editor of “The Tennessean” and remained at that post for over twenty more years. He held many prestigious positions in national organizations, including president of the Golf Writers Association in 1983, director of the Basketball and Football Writers Association, and member of the Board of Directors of the Sportswriters Association. Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame inductee John Bibb gave many years of excellence to his profession, for which sport fans in our fair State, and across the nation, will always be grateful.
