He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1948 through 1954 with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, and the Washington Senators.

Tipton began his playing career in the Textile League with Brighton Mills in Shannon in 1938, and spent the next three years with the Talladega team.

[2] After being signed by the Indians, Tipton made his professional debut with the Appleton Papermakers of the Wisconsin State League, where he had a .298 batting average and 11 home runs in 59 games.

[7] He made his major league debut on May 2, and a month later, in a game on June 6, he had five hits in five plate appearances to give Cleveland a win against the Philadelphia Athletics.

[10] Early in the season, White Sox manager Jack Onslow accused Tipton of tipping pitches after a loss to the St. Louis Browns and fined him $500.

Fox played 14 years for the White Sox and went on to become a Hall of Famer, and as a result the trade is considered one of the most lopsided in baseball history.

[12] During spring training for the Athletics, Tipton battled Mike Guerra and Joe Astroth for the starting job at catcher.

[9] Jimmy Dykes took over as Athletics' manager in 1951, and had high hopes for Tipton heading into the season, saying that he "is a lot better catcher than most people think.

[16] To start the 1952 season, Tipton was rumored to be the subject of a trade involving the Boston Red Sox and two of their players, but the deal never materialized.

He battled a myriad of injuries throughout the season, including a bruised hand, a broken thumb, a split finger, and losing a fingernail.

Manager Bucky Harris traded for Tipton in hopes that he would compete for the starting job due to his defense.

[9] The New York Giants purchased the contracts of Tipton and Wayne Terwilliger on January 14, 1955, who sent them to the minor league Minneapolis Millers.

[25] Tipton retired afterwards, and a year later was banned for life from the minor leagues after it came to light that he accepted payouts by acting as a liaison for Jesse Levan, who was intentionally fouling off balls in order for gamblers in the stands to take advantage of them.

[26] His baseball career over, Tipton moved to Birmingham, Alabama with his wife and three children, where he ran automobile dealership.