Salem University Athletics

Born December 10, 1909, Floyd Giebell was an extraordinary two-sport athlete during his time at Salem. He graduated in 1937 after playing for four years on both the baseball and basketball teams.
 
Drafted as a pitcher by the Detroit Tigers in 1937, Giebell went to Class B Evansville in Indiana in 1938, Class A in Beaumont, Texas in 1939 and was called up to the Detroit Tigers from Triple A Buffalo on September 8, 1940.
 
He led the Tigers to a 13-2 win over the Philadelphia A’s and to a 2-0 win over the Cleveland Indians and Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller. Although he was ineligible for the 1940 World Series, his teammates voted him a full player’s share of the World Series bonus for his contributions.
 
In total, he played three seasons in the majors (all with Detroit) and finished 3-1, with a 3.99 ERA with 30 strikeouts over 67.2 innings pitched in 28 appearances. He started four times and had two complete-games, including a complete-game shutout in the Tigers 1940 American League Pennant winning season.
 
He is the only Salem graduate to ever appear in Major League Baseball.
 
Giebell entered the United States Navy in World War II and returned to work in Weitron Steel Research Laboratory in 1948 until his retirement in 1976. He passed away on April 28, 2004 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.