EAST LANSING, MI — Legendary Michigan State track & field coach Jim Bibbs passed away on Saturday, Oct. 10. He was 97-years-old.
Bibbs was the longest tenured track & field coach in program history, coaching the Spartans from 1968-95 at Michigan State. During Bibbs’ career, his student-athletes won 52 Big Ten titles, earned 26 All-America honors, claimed three NCAA titles and set two world records.
He made history when he was appointed Michigan State’s head track & field coach in 1977, as he became the first Black head coach in school history, and the first Black track and field head coach in the Big Ten.
“Jim Bibbs is truly one of the icons of Spartan Athletics. He cared deeply about Michigan State University and even more passionately for the hundreds, if not thousands, of young men and women he impacted. His career is defined by its excellence, the barriers he broke, and the relationships he created,” said MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo.
Funeral arrangements for Bibbs are still pending.
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