Kirk Gibson

Date of Birth: 5/28/1957
Birthplace: Pontiac, Michigan
College: Michigan State University

Kirk Gibson, former manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, had a long and successful career as a player before becoming a manager. He was as an all-American football player in college before playing baseball. In one year of college baseball, in just 48 games, Gibson had a .390 batting average, 16 home runs, and 52 RBIs. That record resulted in his being drafted by the Detroit Tigers.

Gibson started slowly with the Tigers, playing in just 12 games in 1979 and 51 games in 1980. It wasn't until 1983 that he played in over 100 games in a season. After nine years with the Tigers (1979-1987), Gibson played for three years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He then played for a year each with the Kansas City Royals (1991) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1992) before returning to the Tigers, playing his last three years with them.

In 17 years in the major leagues, Gibson played in 1,635 games and had 1,553 hits, 260 doubles, 255 home runs, 870 RBIs, 284 stolen bases, and a batting average of .268. He won the NL MVP award in 1988, a Silver Slugger award, also in 1988, and the AL Championship Series MVP award in 1984.

After leaving major league baseball as a player, Gibson became a TV analyst for the Detroit Tigers (1998-2002). In 2003, he reentered the baseball field as the Tigers bench coach. He stayed in that position through the 2005 season.

Gibson first joined the Diamondbacks in 2007 as their bench coach. In July, 2010, he was promoted to the D-Backs interim manager and he became the permanent manager after the season ended. The D-Backs didn't fare well in their first season under Gibson's leadership (34-49 record, .410 win percentage, and fifth place finish in the NL West division) but they turned things around the following year, ending the 2011 season with a 94-68 record, .580 win percentage, and a first place finish in the NL West division. That accomplishment earned Gibson the NL Manager of the Year award.

In 2013, Gibson led the Diamondbacks to a second place finish in the National League West division, with an 81-81 record. The team's 2014 performance, however, was dismal and it cost Gibson his job. The Diamondbacks finished the season in last place in the NL West division with a 64-98 record. On September 26, 2014, Gibson was released by the team. In his five years as a manager, he had a 353-375 win-loss record.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Kirk Gibson
Baseball Reference - Kirk Gibson, Player
Baseball Reference - Kirk Gibson, Manager