Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Anyone remember Kapri Bibbs?

He was a star running back for Plainfield North almost three years ago. After lighting up the scoreboard here in Illinois, Bibbs headed off to Colorado State in Fort Collins. (I wrote about him here, here, here and here.)

I had this to say about him in 2010:

Just last week, in a game against Oswego, the Plainfield North senior gained 520 yards on 39 carries for seven touchdowns. (In sixth grade, Bibbs scored 23 touchdowns on 23 carries. Yes, you read that correctly.)

Bibbs's 520 yards were thought to be a new state record until officials were reminded of Austin's DeAndre Hooper and his 593-yard game in 1996 against Near North.
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Bibbs strengthened his claim to Player of the Year last night by scoring five touchdowns (three for 31, 52 and 65 yards) and throwing  92 yards for a sixth as the Tigers upset No. 13 Plainfield South, 43-35. The Colorado State-bound running back scored the winning touchdown with two minutes remaining on his 56th and final carry of the night. Bibbs finished the game with 395 yards rushing and carried the ball on all but two plays in the second half.
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Bibbs has committed to Colorado State next year. The 5'10", 195-pound senior rushed for 2,560 yards on 282 carries this year. To give you some perspective, only seven running backs in the NFL carried the ball as many times in the 2009 regular season -- and that was in twice as many games. Oh, and Bibbs also scored 37 touchdowns.
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And as if that weren't enough, Bibbs was also on his high school bowling team!

So whatever happened to that guy?

Turns out, academic issues sent Bibbs to a couple of junior colleges, first in Utah and then in Colorado. But, apparently, he's made good on his original commitment to Colorado State (my emphasis):

All in all a four year journey from his commitment in high school to arriving at Colorado State, Bibbs finally put on a Ram uniform and reported for spring ball in spring 2013. He has his work cut out for him in a rotation lead by veteran starters Chris Nwoke and Donnell Alexander, but showed his worth in spring practices and the spring game despite his year absence from football. Bibbs will most likely take the third spot in running back core, but look for him to make solid contributions in an offense that utilizes multiple backs. Even if he doesn't live up to his high school hype, it is hard to root against a kid who showed such dedication and drive to hold true to his commitment even with the hurdles he faced.

What a great story!

Hat tip: Bill Andrew.

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