Kirk Gibson

Kirk Gibson is an American former professional baseball outfielder and manager. He is currently a color commentator for the Detroit Tigers on Bally Sports Detroit and an assistant to the Tigers’ President. Gibson spent most of his career with the Detroit Tigers but also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Gibson was born in Pontiac, Michigan, and grew up in nearby Waterford. He graduated from Waterford Kettering High School in 1975, and went on to attend Michigan State University, where he was an All-American wide receiver in football. His college football career was distinguished by leading the Spartans to a tie for the Big Ten title, setting school and conference receiving records, starring in the Hula Bowl and Senior Bowl, and making several All-America teams. Gibson was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame for his accomplishments on the football field in January 2017.

It was at the suggestion of Spartan football coach, Darryl Rogers, that Gibson played collegiate baseball. Gibson played only one year of college baseball but hit .390 with 16 homers and 52 RBIs in 48 games. He was drafted by both his hometown Detroit Tigers baseball team (first round) and the St. Louis Cardinals football team (seventh round). He chose baseball.

With the Tigers in 1984, Gibson clinched the title in Game 5 with a three-run homer off Goose Gossage, who had refused to walk him with a base open. With the Dodgers in 1988, Gibson faced closer Dennis Eckersley in the ninth inning of the first game and hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run—often described as one of the most exciting moments in World Series history. Gibson was then named the National League MVP that same year.

Following his retirement as a player, Gibson spent five seasons as a television analyst in Detroit and then became a coach for the Tigers in 2003. He became the Diamondbacks' bench coach in 2007 and was promoted to interim manager in 2010 following the mid-season dismissal of A.J. Hinch. On October 4, 2010, the Diamondbacks removed the "interim" label, naming Gibson their manager for the 2011 season. He served as the Diamondbacks' manager until September 26, 2014. Gibson then returned to the broadcast booth in 2015 as a part-time commentator for Tigers TV broadcasts and was named a regular television analyst for the Tigers in 2019.

Gibson married JoAnn Sklarski in 1985. Gibson and JoAnn created The Kirk Gibson Foundation in 1996 to provide college scholarships to both athletes and non-athletes at Waterford Kettering and Clarkston High Schools, where Gibson’s parents, Robert and Barbara, taught for many years, but after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, Gibson expanded the mission of the Foundation to improve the quality of life of those living with Parkinson’s through the development and delivery of activity-based programs. Gibson’s vision is to provide inspiration, hope, and help to those living with Parkingson’s disease and their loved ones, and to create awareness and understanding about Parkinson’s disease. Since that expansion, the Foundation has raised more than $4 million towards research grants and programs to support the Parkinson’s community. The Gibsons currently reside in Michigan and have four children: Colleen, Kirk, Kevin, and Cameron.