 After attending Louisiana Industrial Institute, which is now Louisiana Tech University, Rebel turned his attention to playing professional baseball, eventually reaching the Majors when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in .The following year, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals along with future Hall of Fame manager Miller Huggins for Fred Beebe.He played for the Cardinals for four seasons as a starting center fielder, then jumped to the Federal League when it was established in .