Guy Gilbert Gibbs Jr. (born October 25, 1939) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

TCU Horned Frogs The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University. The 18 varsity teams participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I and in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for football, competi ...

Early life

Gibbs was a highly recruited athlete coming out of Graham High School. He accepted a football scholarship from

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university, private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison Clark, Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It i ...

, to become part of the school's tradition at

. In college, he was a highly publicized athlete, who was usually mentioned in pre-season

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

teams, but could never reach that type of success. As a sophomore, he shared the

position with Donald George, recording 47 completions (second in the conference) out of 111 attempts (second in the conference) for 473 yards (fifth in the conference), 3

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s (tied for fifth in the conference) and 9 interceptions. In 1961, as a junior he registered 71 completions (second in the conference) out of 137 attempts (led the conference) for 999 yards (led the conference), 6

s (tied for second in the conference) and 8 interceptions. He also played a key role in beating the #1 ranked

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

and received the Rogers Trophy as the team MVP at the end of the season. As a senior, he was the second leading passer in the conference with 89 completions out of 169 attempts for 1,013 passing yards, 9

s and 9 interceptions. He played in the

East-West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

, the Hula Bowl and the

Chicago College All-Star Game The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League (NFL) champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. It was also known as the ...

. As a three-year starter, he finished with 207 completions for 2,485 passing yards and 18

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

With no first round draft choice in the 1962 NFL draft, the

selected Gibbs in the second round (18th overall) with a future draft pick, which allowed the team to draft him before his college eligibility was over. He was also selected by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

in the 14th round (106th overall) of the 1962 AFL Draft. In

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

, Gibbs entered the league as the tallest

in NFL history (until

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

when Dan McGwire broke the record). Being the third string

, he wasn't activated for any game of the season. He also developed a close relationship with Don Meredith, where Gibbs tried to emulate his lifestyle. He was waived on September 3,

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

Toledo (UFL)

In 1964, he signed with the Toledo Tornadoes of the United Football League at the request of the

Detroit Lions

Even though he signed a three-year no-cut contract that was honored by the

, he was released before the start of the 1964 season. On October 27,

, because the Cowboys still held Gibbs rights, the

traded a fourth-round draft choice (#53- Bob Svihus) and paid over US$40,000 to be able to sign him, so he could back up Milt Plum, after

Earl Morrall Earl Edwin Morrall (; May 17, 1934 – April 25, 2014) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons, both a starter and reserve. He was the last remaining player from t ...

was lost for the year with a broken collarbone. In

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

, he walked away from the NFL, after Gibbs was told that he was going to be traded.

Philadelphia Bulldogs (Continental League)

In 1965, he signed with the

Philadelphia Bulldogs The Philadelphia Bulldogs were an inline hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of Roller Hockey International (RHI). They were part of the 1994 RHI Expansion. Th ...

of the

Continental Football League The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football Minor league football (gridiron), minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Fo ...

. He was a backup behind Bob Brodhead, making 9-of-19 completions (47.4%) for 196 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception.

Brooklyn Dodgers (Continental League)

In 1966, he was selected in the

expansion draft by the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

. He shared the position with

Tom Kennedy, registering 59-of-113 completions (52.2%) for 848 yards, 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Akron Vulcans (Continental League)

In July 1967, he was signed by the new Akron Vulcans franchise. He started 4 games and went 1-3, before the club folded. He tallied 49-of-102 completions (48%) for 640 yards, one touchdown and 4 interceptions.

Charleston Rockets (Continental League)

On September 27, 1967, he was signed by the

Charleston Rockets The Charleston Rockets were a professional American football team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They began play in 1964 as a member of the United Football League (1961–1964), United Football League, and became a charter franchise in the ...

to replace quarterback Ron Miller. He passed 98-of-219 completions (44.7%) for 1,118 yards, 8 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He finished out his career the same year.

References

External links

A Big Ol' Country Boy With A Big Ol' Country Pass
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbs, Sonny 1939 births Living people People from Graham, Texas Players of American football from Young County, Texas American football quarterbacks TCU Horned Frogs football players Dallas Cowboys players Detroit Lions players United Football League (1961–1964) players Continental Football League players