Tebbs was born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He played in the Second Division for Loughborough, and was the club's leading scorer – with only 4 goals out of the 18 they scored – in the 1899–1900 season, Loughborough's last in the Football League. He then joined Small Heath, but the form of Sid Wharton restricted Tebbs to four appearances in two years, and he then returned to Leicestershire to play non-league football for Leicester United.
