 Gibson pictured inJambalaya 1983, Tulane yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1933-03-27)March 27, 1933 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | January 10, 2012(2012-01-10) (aged 78) Kenner, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1954–1955 | Florida State |
| Position | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1956–1958 | South Georgia (assistant) |
| 1959–1963 | Florida State (assistant) |
| 1964–1966 | Tennessee (DC) |
| 1967–1974 | Kansas State |
| 1975–1979 | Louisville |
| 1980–1982 | Tulane |
| 1992 | New Orleans Night |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 75–98–2 (college) 0–10 (AFL) |
| Bowls | 0–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| Big Eight Conference COY (1970) | |
Vince Gibson (March 27, 1933 – January 10, 2012) was an Americanfootball player and coach. He served as head football coach atKansas State University (1967–1974), theUniversity of Louisville (1975–1979), andTulane University (1980–1982), compiling a careercollege football record of 75–98–2. In 1992, he coached theNew Orleans Night of theArena Football League, tallying a mark of 0–10.[1]
Gibson was born and raised inBirmingham, Alabama. He graduated fromFlorida State University in 1955, where he received two letters playing as an offensive guard for the Seminoles.[2] He entered the coaching profession immediately after graduation.
Gibson's first football coaching position was atSouth Georgia College in 1956, a position he held for three years. At South Georgia, Gibson served as the sole assistant under head coachBobby Bowden, who had grown up in the same Birmingham neighborhood as Gibson.[3][4] Following his stint at South Georgia, Gibson returned to hisalma mater Florida State to work as an assistant coach from 1959 to 1963. Before leaving Florida State, Gibson also helped to get Bowden hired as an assistant at that school, where Bowden eventually became head coach.[3][5] Gibson next served asdefensive coordinator at theUniversity of Tennessee from 1964 to 1966.
Prior to the 1967 football season, Gibson was hired as head coach atKansas State University. When he was hired, the school was mired in a 21-game winless streak and had not enjoyed a winning season since 1954, but he promised the Wildcat fans, "We gonna win!"[6]
Gibson's first season at Kansas State ended with a 1–9 record, but the next year the team showed significant improvement. Behind sophomore quarterbackLynn Dickey, the 1968 squad earned the school's first national ranking in theAP Poll and shut outNebraska in Lincoln for the school's first victory over NU in a decade. That same season, Kansas State also moved into anew football stadium.
Gibson truly began to deliver on his promise to win during the 1969 season. The team started 2–0 before second-rankedPenn State arrived to play inManhattan, Kansas. Penn State ultimately finished the 1969 season undefeated, but Kansas State provided them with one of their toughest tests in a 17–14 game. Following the loss to Penn State, Kansas State reeled off three straight victories, including a win over defending conference championKansas in the firstGovernor's Cup game, and a 59–21 blowout of No. 11Oklahoma, which was Kansas State's first win over the Sooners since 1934 and the largest loss in Oklahoma's history. K-State did not beat another ranked team until 1993, whenBill Snyder led the team to victory over Oklahoma again. After the 1969 Oklahoma game, Kansas State sported a 5–1 record and a No. 12 national ranking in the AP Poll. This was the high-point of the season, as the team lost its last four games to finish 5–5. Nevertheless, in only his third season, Gibson had dramatically improved the program.
Prior to the 1970 season, Gibson was named the pre-season national coach of the year byPlayboy Magazine. The season that followed was up-and-down but ultimately disappointing despite a winning record and a second-place finish in theBig Eight Conference. Kansas State won at Oklahoma and defeated eighth-rankedColorado, but the season was soured by non-conference defeats and a blow-out loss toNebraska in the final conference game of the year with the conference title on the line. The worst news of the season came on October 7, 1970, when the conference slapped the Wildcats with three years' probation for recruiting violations. Most seriously, the Wildcats were banned from bowl games and live television for one year. Gibson later said that the sanctions—the result of what he called an immature quarrel with Kansas coachPepper Rodgers—destroyed his program.[6]
Kansas State stagnated following the 1970 season, with Gibson's teams hovering below the .500 mark for the next four years. QuarterbackSteve Grogan provided some excitement during the 1973 and 1974 seasons, but it was never enough to provide a winning record. Gibson decided to leave Kansas State following the 1974 season with a final record of 33–52.
Following his term at Kansas State, Gibson served as head football coach at theUniversity of Louisville from 1975 to 1979. His record at Louisville was 25–29–2, and in 1977 he took the school to the thirdbowl game in its history, the secondIndependence Bowl. While at Louisville, Gibson coined the nickname "Red Rage" for the football team, a related carry over from the "Purple Pride" at K-State. While no longer used as a moniker for the football team, the term Red Rage has been used over the years for various organizations. Currently, the U of L Marching Band is introduced as the"RED RAGE!" Marching Band. NFL notables from Louisville during Gibson's tenure includeOtis Wilson of theChicago Bears andDwayne Woodruff of thePittsburgh Steelers and Joe Jacoby of theWashington Redskins and Mark Clayton of theMiami Dolphins.
From 1980 to 1982 Gibson coached atTulane University, posting an overall record of 17–17. Gibson defeatedLSU in two out of his three seasons at Tulane and also coached the Green Wave to an appearance in the1980 Hall of Fame Classic. While at Tulane, Gibson was known as "Vegas Vince" for his risk taking play calling.
Gibson was named the Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year in 1970. He was also selected to coach the North squad in the 1971North–South Shrine Game. Gibson is enshrined in theAlabama Sports Hall of Fame and the Kansas State University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Gibson died in 2012 inKenner, Louisiana after a battle withamyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was 78.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State Wildcats(Big Eight Conference)(1967–1974) | |||||||||
| 1967 | Kansas State | 1–9 | 0–7 | 8th | |||||
| 1968 | Kansas State | 4–6 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1969 | Kansas State | 5–5 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1970 | Kansas State | 6–5 | 5–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1971 | Kansas State | 5–6 | 2–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 1972 | Kansas State | 3–8 | 1–6 | 8th | |||||
| 1973 | Kansas State | 5–6 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1974 | Kansas State | 4–7 | 1–6 | T–7th | |||||
| Kansas State: | 33–52 | 16–40 | |||||||
| Louisville Cardinals(NCAA Division I / I-A independent)(1975–1979) | |||||||||
| 1975 | Louisville | 2–9 | |||||||
| 1976 | Louisville | 5–6 | |||||||
| 1977 | Louisville | 7–4–1 | LIndependence | ||||||
| 1978 | Louisville | 7–4 | |||||||
| 1979 | Louisville | 4–6–1 | |||||||
| Louisville: | 25–29–2 | ||||||||
| Tulane Green Wave(NCAA Division I-A independent)(1980–1982) | |||||||||
| 1980 | Tulane | 7–5 | LHall of Fame Classic | ||||||
| 1981 | Tulane | 6–5 | |||||||
| 1982 | Tulane | 4–7 | |||||||
| Tulane: | 17–17 | ||||||||
| Total: | 75–98–2 | ||||||||