Claire Linton Cribbs was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player and high school coach. He was a two-time All-American

NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

The NCAA Men's Basketball All-American teams are honorary teams made up of those NCAA basketball players voted the best in the country by a variety of organizations.-History:...

 at the University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball

Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's basketball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in...

 and won over 400 games as a high school coach in the state of Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

.

Cribbs, a 6'0 (1.83 m) guard from Jeannette High School in Jeannette, Pennsylvania

Jeannette, Pennsylvania

Jeannette is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,788 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jeannette is located at ....

, chose to attend the nearby University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

 and play for Hall of Fame coach Doc Carlson

Clifford Carlson

Henry Clifford "Doc" Carlson is a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee as the men's college basketball coach of his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, from 1922 to 1953...

. Cribbs led the Panthers to a 53–15 record in his three varsity seasons, winning the Eastern Intercollegiate Conference in 1933 and 1934 and tying for the championship with West Virginia

West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball

The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. It is a member of the Big East Conference. West Virginia most recently reached the Final Four of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, led by...

 in 1935. Cribbs was the star of these teams, garnering all-conference honors all three years and consensus All-American honors as a junior and senior.

After graduating from Pitt, Cribbs briefly played baseball as a pitcher for the International League's

International League

The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...

 Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles (minor league)

The city of Baltimore, Maryland has been home to two minor league baseball teams called the Baltimore Orioles.-Name history:"Orioles" is a traditional name for baseball clubs in Baltimore . It was used by major league teams from 1882 through 1899 in the American Association/National League and by...

. He then became a teacher and coach at Warren Consolidated High School

Warren Mott High School

Warren Mott High School is a Blue Ribbon school located in Warren, Michigan.Warren Mott High School is located on 12 Mile Road in between Ryan Road and Dequindre Road, and is one of three high schools in the Warren Consolidated School System...

 in Tiltonsville, Ohio

Tiltonsville, Ohio

Tiltonsville is a village in Jefferson County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,329 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, where he coached future baseball Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski

Bill Mazeroski

William Stanley Mazeroski , nicknamed "Maz", is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...

. After a tour in the U. S. Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, he became a history teacher and boy's basketball coach at Bellaire High School

Bellaire High School (Bellaire, Ohio)

Bellaire High School is a public high school located in Bellaire, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Bellaire Local School District. Bellaire's sports and other extracurricular teams are known by the mascot "Big Reds."-History:...

 in Bellaire, Ohio

Bellaire, Ohio

Bellaire is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,278 at the 2010 census. The village is located along the Ohio River...

 in 1949. He remained coach there until his retirement in 1977, winning over 400 games and at one point leading the Big Reds to victory for 54 consecutive home games.

Claire Cribbs is enshrined in the University of Pittsburgh Hall of Fame, as well as the Ohio basketball coaches, Dapper Dan, and Westmoreland County (PA)

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...

halls of fame. He died on September 14, 1985 in Bellaire.