Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | April 6, 1927
Died | April 10, 2015 88) Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. | (aged
Playing career | |
1946–1949 | Youngstown State |
Position(s) | Quarterback |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
195?–1955 | East Liverpool HS (OH) |
1956–1964 | Bowling Green (OL) |
1965–1967 | Bowling Green |
1974 | Memphis Southmen (off. backs) |
1975 | Charlotte Hornets |
1976 | Detroit Lions (off. backs) |
1977–1978 | New York Giants (OC) |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 19–9 (college) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
1 MAC (1965) | |
Robert M. Gibson (April 6, 1927 [1] – April 10, 2015) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Bowling Green University 1965 to 1967. Gibson played college football as a quarterback at Youngstown State University, from which he graduated in 1950. Coaching for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) as offensive coordinator in 1978, Gibson most famously called the play that resulted in the "Miracle at the Meadowlands". [2]
Playing their archrival Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants were leading 17–12 and had possession of the ball with only 30 seconds left. [3] They had only to kneel the ball to end the game, as the Eagles had no timeouts. [3] Gibson ordered Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik to run play "Brown right, near wing, 65 slant", [4] which called for Pisarcik to hand the ball off to fullback Larry Csonka. The handoff was botched and Eagles cornerback Herman Edwards picked up the loose ball and ran in for the game-winning score. [3]
Gibson's reasoning was governed by what happened a play earlier. Pisarcik had taken a knee, only to be knocked over when the Eagles' Bill Bergey charged into Giants' center Jim Clack. This violated an unwritten rule that defensive players do not rush in a situation when the quarterback kneels down. Gibson didn't want to risk getting Pisarcik injured or expose his players to penalties or fines for fighting. However, he didn't explain this to the players, and it came across as a power trip. Head coach John McVay's headphones weren't working, and he later said that he would have overruled Gibson had he known what was happening.
With angry Giants fans demanding someone be held responsible for the debacle, owner Wellington Mara and operations director Andy Robustelli met and decided Gibson had to go. He was fired the next morning. [1] The stigma of having called the play was so great that he never worked in football at any level again. [5] He refused to speak about the incident up until his death in 2015; when ESPN reached him by phone in 2008, he said, "I haven't talked about the game for 30 years, and I'm not about to start now." [6]
Gibson left New York and opened a bait shop and general store on Florida's Sanibel Island, where he raised cattle on his ranch. Gibson still stayed in contact with McVay and another member of the 1978 staff, Lindy Infante, but otherwise largely moved on from his time in the NFL. [1] Gibson died at age 88 on April 10, 2015. [7]
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bowling Green Falcons (Mid-American Conference)(1965–1967) | |||||||||
1965 | Bowling Green | 7–2 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
1966 | Bowling Green | 6–3 | 4–2 | 3rd | |||||
1967 | Bowling Green | 6–4 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
Bowling Green: | 19–9 | 11–7 | |||||||
Total: | 19–9 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth |
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 miles (8 km) west of New York City. The stadium is shared with the New York Jets. The Giants are headquartered and practice at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, also in the Meadowlands.
A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful handing that results in loss of ball possession by a player. Unlike other events which cause the ball to become loose, such as an incomplete pass, a fumbled ball is considered a live ball, and may be recovered and advanced by any member of either team.
Larry Richard Csonka is an American former professional football fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins for the majority of his career, along with the New York Giants for three years. He also had a short stint with the Memphis Southmen in the WFL. Nicknamed "Zonk", Csonka is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. Csonka is mostly remembered for his success during his tenure with the Dolphins, which included being a member of their 17–0 perfect season in 1972, and winning Super Bowl championships in 1972 and 1973, the latter of which he was named Super Bowl MVP when he ran for a then-record 145 yards. He was also a commentator for the original run of American Gladiators.
Phillip Martin Simms is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the New York Giants. After playing college football for the Morehead State Eagles, Simms was selected in the first round by the Giants as the seventh overall pick in the 1979 NFL draft. Simms was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of Super Bowl XXI, after he led the Giants to a 39–20 victory over the Denver Broncos and set the record for highest completion percentage in a Super Bowl, completing 22 of 25 passes (88%), as well as the highest passer rating in a Super Bowl at 150.9; both of these records still stand. He was also named to the Pro Bowl for his performances in the 1985 and 1993 seasons.
Herman Edwards Jr. is an American football coach and former player. He played cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Edwards was also a head coach in the NFL from 2001 to 2008 with the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. Following the conclusion of his NFL coaching career, Edwards was a football analyst at ESPN from 2009 to 2017. He later served as the head coach of Arizona State Sun Devils from 2018 to 2022.
The Miracle at the Meadowlands was a fumble recovery by cornerback Herman Edwards of the Philadelphia Eagles that he returned for a touchdown at the end of a November 19, 1978, National Football League (NFL) game against the New York Giants in Giants Stadium. After quarterback Joe Pisarcik botched an attempt to hand off the football to fullback Larry Csonka, Edwards picked up the dropped ball and ran 26 yards for the winning touchdown. It is considered miraculous because the Giants were ahead 17–12 and could easily have run out the final seconds, since they had the ball and the Eagles had no timeouts left.
Joseph Anthony Pisarcik is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1977 through 1984. He played college football for the New Mexico State Aggies and began his pro career in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
In American football and Canadian football, a quarterback kneel, also called taking a knee, genuflect offense, kneel-down offense, or victory formation, occurs when the quarterback touches a knee to the ground immediately after receiving the snap, thus downing himself and ending the play. It is primarily used to run the clock down, either at the end of the first half or the game itself, to preserve a lead or ensure a game goes into overtime if the game is tied and in the fourth quarter. Although it generally results in a loss of some yardage and uses up a down, it minimizes the risk of a fumble, which would give the other team a chance at recovering the ball.
Andrew Richard Robustelli was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants. He played college football at Arnold College and was selected in the nineteenth round of the 1951 NFL draft. Robustelli was a six-time first-team All-Pro selection and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
The New York Giants, an American football team which currently plays in the National Football League (NFL)'s National Football Conference (NFC), has a history dating back almost 100 seasons, with 4 Super Bowl victories. The Giants were founded in 1925 by Tim Mara in the then five-year-old NFL. Mara owned the team until his death in 1959, when it was passed on to his sons, Wellington and Jack. During their history, the Giants have won eight NFL championships, four of which came in Super Bowls.
James Thomas Clack was an American professional football center and guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1981. He died of heart failure in 2006 after suffering from cancer for four years.
The history of the New York Giants from 1925 to 1978 covers the American football franchise from the team's inception until the conclusion of their tumultuous 1978 season. Currently members of the NFL's National Football Conference, the Giants were founded in 1925 by original owner Tim Mara in the then five-year-old NFL. Mara gave control of the team over to his two sons—Wellington and Jack—early in their lives. During this period in their history the Giants acquired four NFL championships, but also suffered some down times, including consecutive non-playoff seasons from 1964 to 1978.
The New York Giants, an American football team which currently plays in the NFL's National Football Conference, have qualified for the postseason ten times since 1994. With the retirement of Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor—two of the most important figures in franchise history—after the 1993 season, the Giants entered a new era.
The New York Giants, an American football team which plays in the National Football League (NFL), have had a long, and at times turbulent financial history. The Giants were founded in 1925 by businessman and bookmaker Tim Mara with an investment of 500 US$, and became one of the first teams in the then five-year-old NFL. Mara passed ownership of the team on to his sons Wellington and Jack after the 1929 Stock Market Crash to insulate the team from creditors. At first the Mara sons owned the team in name only, but they took increasingly larger roles in the organization beginning in the mid-1930s. Tim Mara remained involved in the team's operations until his death in 1959, when his sons assumed full control of the club. After Jack's passing in 1965, his son, Tim, took over his share of the team.
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