Jerry Dean "Jake" Gibbs (born November 7, 1938) is an American former Major League Baseball player who played for the New York Yankees as a platoon catcher from 1962 to 1971. Although Gibbs was the regular starting catcher for New York in 1967 and 1968, he was primarily a back-up for Elston Howard and then Thurman Munson at the tail-end of his career.
During his junior football season, Gibbs was best remembered for punting the ball to Louisiana State UniversityAll-AmericanBilly Cannon in a Halloween Night game at Tiger 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 1959 Heisman 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 the 1960 Sugar Bowl, 62 days after the teams played in Baton Rouge.
He began his professional career with the Richmond Virginians of the International League; he recorded five hits in a double header in his professional debut[9] and started his career with an eight-game hitting streak.[10] The Yankees optioned him to Richmond in 1962,[11] but his season was limited by injuries.[12] The Yankees asked Gibbs to switch to catcher 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 in minor league baseball,[16] where his highest season batting average was .284 and he managed to hit 28 home runs across the four seasons.[5] With Yogi Berra's retirement before the 1964 season, Gibbs competed for a spot on the Yankees' roster.[17] He was unable to appear in the 1964 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 up Elston 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 to Thurman 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.
Coaching career
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 quarterback Archie 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 the 1972 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]
