Gary GIbbs??

[Collier11]

I may be mistaken but it seems to me like there is a large amount of dislike for Gary Gibbs around here, my question if this is true is why? I understand he didnt win any conf. titles or natl titles, but the guy did get us through a tough time both internally and nationally and won some games(though no big ones) while he was at it. I was too young to remember if there were any scandals while he was around that he actually caused so please inform me. I just dont get it, so if I am missing something IM all ears...
Interested Sooner Fan

[Edmond Sooner]

I may be mistaken but it seems to me like there is a large amount of dislike for Gary Gibbs around here, my question if this is true is why? I understand he didnt win any conf. titles or natl titles, but the guy did get us through a tough time both internally and nationally and won some games(though no big ones) while he was at it. I was too young to remember if there were any scandals while he was around that he actually caused so please inform me. I just dont get it, so if I am missing something IM all ears...
Interested Sooner Fan


For the same reason that John Adams, following George Washington, gets minimal respect, as does James Madison following Thomas Jefferson, and so too Martin Van Buren following Andrew Jackson, and then again Andrew Johnson following Abraham Lincoln, and...

Such is human nature - and Gary Gibbs, to reduce it to equivalent terms, was Andrew Johnson.

Following an much-beloved genius who'd saved a nation (Sooner Nation), in other words.

Barry Switzer had been run out of town on account of the fact that 1988/89 was the first year that political correctness had started to seriously influence the way our current world works on a day-to-day basis - that and the fact that OU had lost to Clemson in that year's bowl game.

There was also an historical cycle of losing & internal turmoil, well overdue, that came calling during that era, about like the one that'd plagued OU from 1964 to 1970: unfair as it was, Gibbs was the ultimate recipient of that inevitable historical program downturn (and he got Probation-related headaches, to boot).

Gibbs was a transition figure, and he certainly did his best. It came up short, to be sure, but he wasn't the nightmare. His next two successors were.

And then we got Stoops, in equivalent political/to/football terms our Ronald Reagan.

'Nuff said.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Wow...I'd call him our Clinton, but I'm not a fan of guys who make our enemies stronger and our poor poorer like Reagan did...

Guess it all depends on how you look at it.

[MarylandSooner]

Reagan made our enemies stronger! what, I must of missed something.

[guzziguy]

Gibbs was a good guy hired to do an impossible job at a bad time.

I wish him all the best.

[jrsooner]

Wow...I'd call him our Clinton, but I'm not a fan of guys who make our enemies stronger and our poor poorer like Reagan did...
Guess it all depends on how you look at it.This would be too easy of a shot! (it all depends on your political leanings for the outlook on that statement)

I agree with the others... Stoops is our Reagan.

[Monster Zero]

Yeah, right, the Iron Curtain is still in place, and all of Eastern Europe is occupied by the Soviet Union.

Speaking of which, the Soviet Union is gonna bomb us back to the stone age OR buy us out a dime to the dollar today; it's their call.

Not to mention the fact that those Iranian mullahs who took over during the Carter administration are still holding our embassy staff hostage... and it's all Ronald Reagan's fault.

[BajaOklahoma]

I liked Gibbs as a player and as a coach. He will always be a Sooner in my book, unlike Boo.
Gibbs was/is a classy guy. He is a smart guy who took on a no-win job (following Switzer) and did okay. He realized that the odds on being successful at that point were not good, but he took the job anyway. We could have been in Bama's position current position, hunting for someone to coach us, which would have further damaged the program.
IMO, Gibbs deserves our respect, support, good wishes and, for some of you, apologies.

[Sooner_Havok]

I can respect Gibbs for what he tried to do. Like you guys have said, it was an impossible task he was given. That being said, I don't know how many times I as an eleven or twelve year old sat in that stadium and screamed "DON'T GET SACKED AGAIN GUNDY, THROW THE BALL AWAY!" Again, not really Gibbs' fault. He did the best he could with what he had, and I wish him nothing but the best in NOLA, and hope he gets some more opportunities down the road.

Gibbs>Boo by x100

[Dio]

I'm not a fan of guys who make our enemies stronger and our poor poorer like Reagan did...


This may be the most ignorant post on this board since NickZepp was banned.

Back on-topic- Gibbs was a great DC, HC not so much

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Wow...I'd call him our Clinton, but I'm not a fan of guys who make our enemies stronger and our poor poorer like Reagan did...

Guess it all depends on how you look at it.PUH-LEEZE! Hello comrade Crucifax.

[Taxman71]

I don't think too many real Sooners dislike Gibbs, just his record as a head coach. He couldn't beat the big boys, but, by God, he never lost to Silo Tech down the road. Boo, OTOH, turned into a jacka$$ when he got fired, allegedly destroyed records and has verbally belittled the program. Gibbs is welcome with open arms in Norman any time, Boo, not so much.

In the words of Vince Neil, don't go away mad, just go away.

[BoomerJack]

Another factor was that Gibbs' personality was the polar opposite of Switzer. He just never looked comfortable on the replay show or in front of meetings of alum clubs. Seemed to come across as a stick in the mud.

[aero]

Gibbs is a class act and not a bad coach. Just didn't seem to work. Maybe we could've stuck with him longer but it seems to have worked out for both parties. Seems Dallas could use Gibbs back.

[stoopified]

I don't dslike Gibbs ,I just don't like his uncanny ability to be OUt-coached in big games.He had enough talent to finsh better than 2-15-1 vs.CU,UT,NU.He is simply not a big-time HC.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I don't dslike Gibbs ,I just don't like his uncanny ability to be OUt-coached in big games.He had enough talent to finsh better than 2-15-1 vs.CU,UT,NU.He is simply not a big-time HC.Took away a lot of the fun of being a fan, '89-'94...and then, it got WORSE!

[Sooner_Havok]

Took away a lot of the fun of being a fan, '89-'94...and then, it got WORSE!

You guys have to look at the bright side. He helped make season tickets more available for true OU fans, so that when Bobby came to town, those of us that rode out the bad years had better seats to see the coming glory!

[SoonerInKCMO]

Barry Switzer had been run out of town on account of the fact that 1988/89 was the first year that political correctness had started to seriously influence the way our current world works on a day-to-day basis - that and the fact that OU had lost to Clemson in that year's bowl game.

Political correctness?!?! Dude. Charles Thompson was busted selling cocaine; Jerry Parks shot Zarak Peters in the dorm; three guys were arrested and charged with gang rape. If all that happened on some other campus (within a month's time, mind you) we'd all be calling for the team's coach to be fired. And rightfully so.

[sooneron]

Political correctness?!?! Dude. Charles Thompson was busted selling cocaine; Jerry Parks shot Zarak Peters in the dorm; three guys were arrested and charged with gang rape. If all that happened on some other campus (within a month's time, mind you) we'd all be calling for the team's coach to be fired. And rightfully so.
You forgot probation.:O

[StoopTroup]

Gibbs was a good guy hired to do an impossible job at a bad time.

I wish him all the best.
I agree....

spek

Nobody would have been comfortable sitting in front of the 6 MNC Monster during that time...

[Jdog]

The tie with CU and the choke losses to Texas were what did him; those were games he should have won. I was living in Boulder at the time (dealing with their trashy fans), we physically dominated CU that year but penalties killed us. Against Texas, he had the better team, he just choked.

Watching the Saints D, it's evident that Gibbs is a great D coach - I just don't think that he was prepared to be a head coach. The job probable should have gone to Merv but he was perceived to be too close to Switzer.

Bottom line, he's still a Sooner, and still a part of the tradition !!!

[Boomerbrad]

Barry Switzer had been run out of town on account of the fact that 1988/89 was the first year that political correctness had started to seriously influence the way our current world works on a day-to-day basis

:rolleyes: Possibly the silliest statement I've ever read on a message board.

[C&CDean]

This whole thread is stupid. It's half South Oval, half Football, and all dumb.

If somebody wants to discuss GG, start a new thread and hopefully the dumbasses won't post in it.