OPENING DAY AGE: 55
SIGNED THROUGH: 2016
FORMER POSITION: Outfielder
BORN: May 28, 1957 - Pontiac, Mich.
RESIDENCE: Gross Pointe, Mich.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Gibson enters his fourth season, third full campaign as Manager...in 2011, led the D-backs to their fifth NL West Division Championship...named BBWAA NL Manager of the Year to join Joe Torre, Don Baylor and Frank Robinson as the only persons to win an MVP award as a player and a Manager of the Year award...Gibson is the first manager to take his team to the playoffs in his first full season after the team finished in last place the previous season(Elias)...honors as a player: 1988 NL MVP & Silver Slugger with the Dodgers, 1984 ALCS MVP with the Tigers. In his fourth overall season with the D-backs in 2013. In 2012,went 81-81 and finished third in the NL West. Recorded his 200th regular-season victory on Sept. 16 with a 10-2win vs. Giants, becoming the fourth D-backs manager to reach the 200 regular-season win mark. Named 2011 BBWAA NL Manager of the Year...had 152 points (28 first-place and 4 second-place votes...was the only manager named on every ballot...joined Joe Torre, Don Baylor and Frank Robinson as the only persons to win MVP and Manager of the Year awards. Joined Joe Torre and Yogi Berra as the only MVPs to win Division titles as a Manager (Elias). Went 94-68 (.580) in his first full season as D-backs manager and led team to the NL West Division title,their fifth all-time (1999, 2001, 2002, 2007)...clinched division title with a 3-1 win on Sept. 23 vs. Giants...won division by 8.0 games over second-place Giants, their second-largest margin behind 14.0-game margin in 1999...the 8.0-game margin was the fifth-largest by NL West champ since 1998, behind Padres' 9.5-game margin in 1998, D-backs' 14.0-game margin in 1999, Giants' 11.0-margin in 2000 and Padres' and Dodgers' 11.5-game margin in 2006. D-backs were eliminated in the NL Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, 3 games to 2...dropped Games 1 & 2 at Miller Park (4-1, 9-4) then won Games 3 & 4 at Chase Field (8-1, 10-6) before losing Game 5 at Miller Park (3-2). In 2011,Gibson became the first manager to take his team to playoffs in his first full season after the team finished in last place the previous season (Elias)...Gibson and the Brewers' Ron Roenicke became the 19th and 20th managers, since 1969, to take their teams to the playoffs in first full season as Manager (does not include managers who made playoffs before their first full season, i.e., midseason hires in first season) (Elias). D-backs 29-win differential from 65 wins in 2010 to 94 wins in 2011 tied for the third-best since 1998 with the Tigers(43 winsin 2003, 72 in 2004) behind the D-backs' 35-win difference (65 in 1998, 100 in 1999) and Rays' 31-win differential (66 in 2007, 97 in 2008).Won his 100th game, 4-3, on Aug. 12, 2011 vs. Mets to become the fourth D-backs manager to reach the 100- win mark, along with Bob Melvin (337-340), Bob Brenly (303-262) and Buck Showalter (250-236). Led the D-backs to a Major League-best and franchiserecord 48 comebackwins and a franchise-record 15-game home winning streak from Aug. 9-Sept. 10, the longest in the Majors in 2011 and longest single-season streak since the Astros' 18 straight wins from Aug. 23-Oct. 3, 2004. Named the D-backs' sixth manager on Oct. 4, 2010, agreeing to a two-year contract through the 2012 season with a club option for 2013. Named interim manager on July 1, 2010, following the dismissal of A.J. Hinch...compiled a 34-49 mark as interim manager...made his debut on July 2 vs. Dodgers with a 12-5 win, joining Bob Brenly (3-2 @ Dodgers, April 1, 2001) as the only D-backs' manager to win in his managerial debut...became the fourth manager since 2001 to make his managerial debut against a team he played for, joining Padres' Bud Black on April 3, 2007 vs. Giants, Indians' Joel Skinner on July 11, 2002 vs. Yankees and Pirates' Lloyd McClendon onApril 3, 2001 @ Reds. Served as the D-backs bench coach from 2007 until assuming the interim manager title midway through 2010...his 3½ seasons as bench coach were the most among all bench coaches in team history ahead of Carlos Tosca from 1998-2000. Served as bench coach for the Detroit Tigers from 2003-05 under manager Alan Trammell...also worked as a color analyst on FSN Detroit from 1998-2002. Played an integral role on two World Championship teams and batted .268 with 255 home runs, 870 RBI and 284 stolen bases during a distinguished 17-year playing career with the Tigers (1979-87, 1993-95), Los Angeles Dodgers(1988-90), Kansas City Royals(1991) and Pittsburgh Pirates(1992).Made his Major League debut in 1979 and went on to be the Tigers' regular right fielder from 1983-87, helping lead Detroit to a World Championship in 1984 and another division championship in 1987...named AL Championship Series MVP against the Kansas City Royals in 1984 and delivered a memorable homer off Padres closer Goose Gossage in Game 5 of the 1984 World Series. Signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1988 and led the club that year to its fifth World Championship after being named National League MVP by batting .290 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI, 106 runs and 31 stolen bases...his pinch-hit, game-winning 2-run home run off the Athletics' Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the World Series set the tone for the Dodgers to win the series in 5 games. Is the only player in history to win a league MVP award and never appear in an All-Star Game...served as a member of Bruce Bochy's National League coaching staff for the 82nd Annual MLB All-Star Game at Chase Field on July 12, 2011.
PERSONAL Kirk Harold Gibson. Married to Joanne with four children, Colleen, Kirk, Kevin and Cameron...Kevin plays collegiate hockey at University of Wisconsin - StevensPoint...Cameron plays baseball at Michigan State University. Became second former Michigan State University baseball player to have his uniform number (No. 30) retired, at the 2012 MSU Baseball First Pitch Dinner on Jan. 29, 2012...joined pitcher Robin Roberts(No. 36) and coachesJohn Kobs(No. 25) and Danny Litwhiler (No. 1). Served as the Grand Marshal of the 41st Annual Fiesta Bowl Parade on Dec. 31, 2011, and was also a special guest for the Fiesta Bowl pre-game festivities and coin toss on Jan. 2, 2012. Drafted in the first round (12th overall) of the 1978 free agent draft by the Tigers and seventh round of the NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals after a stellar two-sport career at Michigan State University. Chad and Doug Dreier, father and son sports memorabilia collectors from Santa Barbara, Calif., paid $1.19 million in an online auction in November 2010 for five iconic Gibson items, including Gibson's home run bat from Game 1 of the 1988 World Series ($575,912) and his game-worn jersey ($303,277), his batting helmet ($155,388), NL MVP Award ($110,293) and World Series trophy ($45,578)...the final bid for the bat marked the second-highest amount paid for a game-used bat, behind only Babe Ruth's signed bat used to hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium that sold in 2004 for $1.265 million...the amounts paid for the game-worn helmet and player World Series trophy were records. Proceeds from the sale of the World Series trophy and MVP plaque benefited the Kirk Gibson Foundation to continue his support of Michigan State University athletic programs and to help fund his partial scholarship programs at Clarkston (Mich.) High School and Waterford (Mich.) High School, in honor of his parents, who were educators at those schools.
