Howard Tibbatts was born in Binscarth, Manitoba on August 19, 1906. Tibbatts was born into a sports-loving family, and he hit his first home run as a 12-year-old catcher for the ladies baseball team on Birtle Sports Day. Later in his career, Tibbatts became a great pitcher. Him and catcher Vic Murray formed a dynamic duo in league and tournament play in the early 1930s. During this time, Tibbatts played with Norwood in the Winnipeg Senior League. He whiffed 15 and 13 Dokey Tigers on separate occasions, and he set an all-time Winnipeg record with 19 strikeouts against the Elks. Tibbatts went on spend several seasons with Tamarisk, who were a tournament team out of Grandview. He had a stellar few years with them, and won over 60 games each season. Tibbatts would regularly pitch 20 innings in a day, and he was the winning pitcher when Tamarisk beat an all-star Winnipeg senior squad at a Neepawa tournament. Teammate Vic Wilson recalls a time when him and Howie won two tournaments in one day by juggling their games. Tibbatts was not only a great pitcher, but also a good fielder and hitter. When his playing days were over, Tibbatts went on to coach hockey, curing, and, of course, baseball.
