| Jake Gibbs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1938-11-07)November 7, 1938 (age 87) Grenada, Mississippi, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 11, 1962, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1971, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .233 |
| Home runs | 25 |
| Runs batted in | 146 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Jerry Dean "Jake" Gibbs (born November 7, 1938) is an American formerMajor League Baseball player who played for theNew York Yankees as a platooncatcher from 1962 to 1971. Although Gibbs was the regular starting catcher for New York in 1967 and 1968, he was primarily a back-up forElston Howard and thenThurman Munson at the tail-end of his career.
Prior to beginning his professional baseball career, Gibbs had successful careers incollege baseball andcollege football at theUniversity of Mississippi (Ole Miss) for theOle Miss Rebels. He was also a member of thePi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) Fraternity. He returned to Ole Miss to coach the baseball and football teams.
Gibbs attended the University of Mississippi, where he playedquarterback for theOle Miss Rebels football team, and also played for theOle Miss Rebels baseball team. Both teams compete in theSoutheastern Conference (SEC). Gibbs led the Rebels to their first SEC baseball championship, in 1959.[1]
During his junior football season, Gibbs was best remembered for punting the ball toLouisiana State UniversityAll-AmericanBilly Cannon in a Halloween Night game atTiger Stadium. On a third-and-19 with 10 minutes remaining, and the third-ranked Rebels ahead of defending national champion and top-ranked LSU 3-0, Cannon picked up the ball on one bounce at his own 11-yard line and raced past the Rebel coverage unit, including Gibbs, 89 yards for the game's only touchdown. The play helped Cannon win the 1959Heisman Memorial Trophy.
The 7-3 loss cost Ole Miss a chance at the wire service national championships, since those polls were voted upon at the time prior to bowl games and did not take into account Ole Miss' 21-0 humiliation of LSU in the1960 Sugar Bowl, 62 days after the teams played in Baton Rouge.
During his senior year at Mississippi, Gibbs led the football team to a 10–0–1 record, with the lone blemish a 6-6 deadlock against an inferior LSU squad (the Tigers went 5-4-1 after winning 20 of 22 games in 1958 and 1959) atOxford, Mississippi. The Rebels won the1961 Sugar Bowl, defeating theRice Owls football team 14-6, as Gibbs scored both touchdowns.[2][3] The Rebels were recognized asnational champions by theFootball Writers Association of America.[4] Gibbs was named to the1960 College Football All-America Team.[5] That year, he was also named SEC Player of the Year.[6]
Gibbs decided instead to go professional in baseball despite being drafted by theHouston Oilers of theAmerican Football League andCleveland Browns of theNational Football League in 1961. Gibbs signed with theNew York Yankees in 1961, receiving a $100,000signing bonus under thebonus rule.[7][8] Gibbs signed as athird baseman andshortstop.[7]
He began his professional career with theRichmond Virginians of theInternational League; he recorded five hits in adouble header in his professional debut[9] and started his career with an eight-gamehitting streak.[10] The Yankeesoptioned him to Richmond in 1962,[11] but his season was limited by injuries.[12] The Yankees asked Gibbs to switch tocatcher in 1963.[13][14] Gibbs spent the 1963 season with the Virginians, before the Yankees promoted him again in September.[15]
Gibbs spent his four first professional seasons inminor league baseball,[16] where his highest seasonbatting average was .284 and he managed to hit 28home runs across the four seasons.[5] WithYogi Berra's retirement before the 1964 season, Gibbs competed for a spot on the Yankees' roster.[17] He was unable to appear in the1964 World Series due to broken fingers.[18] He also missed the end of the 1966 season after suffering a broken left hand.[19] Gibbs backed upElston Howard for a number of years.[20] When the Yankees traded Howard during the 1967 season, Gibbs became the team's starting catcher.[21] He eventually lost the first-string job toThurman Munson, but continued as a back-up with the team.[22] In June 1971, he announced his retirement from baseball, effective at the end of the season.[23] He played his final game on September 29, 1971.
Gibbs returned to Ole Miss as an assistant football coach in 1965, working during the Yankees' offseason.[16][23] In this role, Gibbs mentored Heisman Trophy finalist quarterbackArchie Manning.[22]
After the 1971 season, Gibbs returned to Ole Miss full-time as a baseball coach and football recruiter.[23] In 1972, he coached Ole Miss to the SEC championship. The team set an SEC record for consecutive conference wins, and went to Omaha for the1972 College World Series (CWS),[1] and Gibbs was named coach of the year.[24] Gibbs was named coach of the year again in 1977.[25] Gibbs retired in 1990 with 485 wins, more than any coach in Ole Miss history, though this was later surpassed on March 9, 2013, by Mike Bianco.[1]
Gibbs returned to the Yankees' organization in 1993 as the team'sbullpen catcher.[26] In 1994 and 1995, Gibbs managed theTampa Yankees, the Yankees'Class A-Advanced affiliate in theFlorida State League.[27][28]
On February 15, 2020, Gibbs' baseball number, 41, was retired in a ceremony prior to the Ole Miss baseball game vs Louisville.
In 1995, Gibbs was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.[29] He appeared at the Yankees'Old-Timers' Day in 2012 and 2014.[30]
· Baseball Almanac