• Kirk was All American receiver at Michigan. He admits that the only reason he tried out for the baseball team his junior year was to enhance his bargaining position when the time came to negotiate a pro football pact. "But it turned out the other way around," he admits.

• Gibson says, "I grew up in a very traditional household and a very patriotic household."

  Gibson's late father, Robert, was on the USS Missouri in September 1945 when the U.S. and Japan signed a peace treaty that officially ended World War II.

  "I think about my dad all the time," Gibson said. "Sometimes you guys get frustrated with me, but you can thank my dad for that. He was just a very strong-minded guy, a very determined, dedicated guy, liked challenges, competition and just didn't really give into things."

  Kirk's dad always wanted him to play baseball rather than football, and he was heavily involved in his son's athletic endeavors.

  "I enjoyed it, though there were some good battles," Gibson said. "My kids knew their grandpa and the moments that they had with him were very special. Of course we wish that not only my dad, but others who have lost their fathers, that they could still be here. But their legacy lives in spirit and mind and body and soul forever."

• A pilot, in 1987 spring training he set an unofficial altitude record for planes in his class (a modified Cessna 206) some 25,200 feet above the Lakeland Municipal Airport, exceeding the previous altitude record by more than 5,000 ft. Pilot Bob Lark was with him.
• The Dodgers are not complete until he is in the lineup. The way he attacks the game is contagious.
• He was NL MVP in 1988.
• His home run in the 1988 World Series was one of the most dramatic things to ever happen in the Fall Classic.
• Kirk got married December 21, 1985 in a double ceremony with his best friend, former Tigers pitcher Dave Rozema. 
• Kirk's wife, Jo Ann, gave birth to their second child, Kevin Louis, January 5, 1990. She has since given Kirk a third son.
• In 1988, in his first exhibition game with the Dodgers, Kirk stormed off the field after discovering eye-black running down his forehead. Jesse Orosco had rubbed it under the rim of Gibson's cap, and Kirk refused to start the game. His seriousness about playing the game set the tone for L.A. to become World Champs in 1988.
• Kirk missed most of 1989 with tendinitis in his left hamstring. In late August, he had a partial tear repaired.
• Kirk and his family were robbed at gunpoint at their Santa Monica home in the early morning hours of June 29, 1989. They lost their 1988 BMW and several hundred dollars in cash.
• The Pirates obtained Kirk by sending pitcher Neal Heaton to the Royals, March 10, 1992. Pittsburgh released Gibson after just 16 games, however.
• Kirk signed with the Tigers, February 10, 1993. He said he felt relieved when Pirate Manager. Jim Leyland gave him the news of his release the year before. "I was just too tired of being away from home," Kirk said during 1993 spring training. "Honestly, I wasn't upset at all. I needed the time at home—away from the game." In that time, Gibson worked out diligently, mixing a lot of work on his farm and his usual hunting. "You know what I think that year did? It relaxed me," Kirk continued. "When you relax and stop worrying, then your body relaxes and starts to rebound."
• Gibson's stubbly beard has become a part of his tough-guy image, but Kirk says that look is not his preference. He just doesn't like shaving and doesn't bother to make time for it. "I have a daily schedule, and shaving isn't in it every day. It's not a priority. If I took a look in a mirror, I'd prefer clean-shaven. It makes me look younger," Kirk says.
• Stories about Gibson's volatile nature are well-documented. You approach at your own risk, never knowing when he'd explode. But he's different now. He's still one of the most intense performers in the game, but he's more at peace with himself.

• Kirk isn't concerned with his own stats. "You either do your job or you don't; you either win or you lose. If we don't win, we've all failed, regardless of whether I got four or five hits," he says. Gibson isn't even that concerned about the numbers that are preceded by dollar signs. After he began talking to the Tigers about coming back in 1993, it turned out they had different views regarding his contract. "At that point, I had made the decision I wanted to play here (Detroit)," Gibson says. "And I said, 'Give me the contract, I'll sign it, and you guys fill it in.' I didn't want us to get hung up on that."

  He got $500,000 guaranteed, with up to $1.6 million in incentives—not that Kirk needs any.

• "I've lost a lot of hair, I've aged, I've matured a lot," Kirk says. "I learned a lot of lessons in life and I'm still learning, but I still have a very fiery instinct to do what it takes to win. When I first signed with the Tigers, I was characterized as being a wild stallion. That was accurate, for I was crazy all the time. Now, I have three kids and a very good family life. That's my comforting factor, my sobering effect. When I'm down, when I see my child smile, it keeps things in perspective. I've grown to be able to be fiery when I should be fiery, but also keep things in perspective when that's proper."
• When asked about his bad legs, Gibson said, "The situation with my legs was one which is overblown. I had one problem in my whole career with my legs. I had a hamstring problem. I played on it, got injected on it, and finally got operated on. When you do something like that, it takes something out of you. It just took me a period of time to recover from that."
• He has been the Tigers' MVP twice, and both times it was in a strike-shortened season: 1981 and 1994.
• Gibson announced his retirement from the game August 11, 1995.

• In 2006, Kirk took a year off from baseball. He golfed more than he ever had. He spent countless hours nurturing the youth hockey program he took over in Detroit. He traveled and spent a good chunk of the summer with his family at a friend's retreat near Lake Michigan.

  He often went fishing on his new, 45-foot Sea Ray and would go hunting for white-tailed deer. In between, he had chores to carry out on the 1,500-acre ranch he owns north of Detroit with former Major Leaguer and good friend, David Wells. He was attending the Tigers-Yankees playoff series at Comerica Park in October 2006, sitting in his favorite seats along the right field rail, when it hit him.

  "The atmosphere kind of overcame me," he said, "and it was right then when it really felt like I didn't have good closure, that it wasn't time for me to stay out of it anymore. I love the uniform. I love the competition."

  A few phone calls later, the Diamondbacks hired Gibson without a formal interview. (Bob McManaman-Arizona Republic-11/16/06)

• In his first full season as a Manager, Gibson was named the 2011 National League Manger of the Year for guiding the Diamondbacks to the NL West title. Gibson and the Diamondbacks went 94-68, a year after he took over in midseason as Arizona went 65-97. Stressing fundamentals from the first day of spring training, the 54-year-old Gibson pushed his team into the first round of the playoffs, where they lost to Milwaukee in the 10th inning of the deciding Game 5.

• February 3, 2014: The Diamondbacks extended Gibson's contract.

• Gibson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The knee had been giving him problems. (3/24/14)

• April 28, 2015: Kirk announced he had diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he said.

  "I have faced many different obstacles in my life, and have always maintained a strong belief that no matter the circumstances, I could overcome those obstacles," Gibson said in a statement released by Fox Sports Detroit, for whom Gibson has been working as an analyst on Tigers telecasts.

  "While this diagnosis poses a new kind of challenge for me, I intend to stay true to my beliefs," Gibson said. "With the support of my family and friends, I will meet this challenge with the same determination and unwavering intensity that I have displayed in all of my endeavors in life."  (Beck - mlb.com)

• January 9, 2017: Kirk Gibson is finally headed to the Hall of Fame -- for the gridiron. Before Gibson embarked on a Major League Baseball career that included two memorable World Series home runs, a National League Most Valuable Player Award and a well-earned reputation as a hard-nosed player, he was an All-American wide receiver at Michigan State University. On Jan. 9th he was recognized for the latter, named to the College Football Hall of Fame. 

PLAYING CAREER NOTES

• It was not easy to defense Kirk. He would even drop down a bunt. He took a vicious swing. He was very aggressive, highly competitive and extremely confident, when healthy.

• Gibson stood even with home plate, crowding it slightly developed somewhat of a crouch. He liked to extend his arms. He thrived on low fastballs and off-speed pitches from righty pitchers. He didn't handle the high fastball well, although he had the strength to muscle some inside fastballs into the outfield for singles.

• Certain lefthanders gave him fits. His holes against leftys were fastballs up and in, and sliders and off-speed pitches low and off the outside part of the plate.

• Kirk would bunt against lefties in any situation.

• Most of his homers came off righthanded pitchers.

• Late in his career, Gibson was used almost exclusively as a DH.

• Speed was Kirk's greatest asset in the OF. His arm strength is adequate, but it can be exploited. He is good at hitting the cutoff man, though.

• Most of his rare errors come from over-charging singles.

MANAGERIAL/COACHING TRAITS

• Bench coach can mean many things, but in Gibson's case, one thing it means is prowling the length of the bench and making comments to players.

• Players have asked manager Alan Trammell, "Is he (Gibby) real?" "Yeah, that's him," Trammell replies. "They see the passion that he has that I know of . . . talking to the players and challenging them," Trammell said. "That's one of the reasons I brought him back, that passion. We're not going to just sit back and get beat without saying something and maybe challenging our guys to step it up."

• In 2011, Gibson led the Diamondbacks from worst-to-first. Arizona lost 97 games in 2010, then won 94 in 2011. (They lost to the Brewers in the N.L. playoffs.)
  
  He  established a culture and mindset with the team that's hard-nosed, gritty, and will never say die—as evidenced by their Majors-leading and club-record 48 comeback victories.

• Despite Kirk's fiery reputation as a player, Gibson has been pretty tame as a manager when it comes to arguing with umpires.

  Part of the reason for his restraint is because he wants to let his players to handle their own business and another is because he does not feel it does any good.

  "You just can't rag a guy for every single pitch you think he misses or every play he misses," Gibson said. "If it happens two or three times, you're going to go out there and talk. What are you going to say? He's going to say, 'Hey, I thought the guy was out.' Now what? 'You're a rotten [expletive].' That's not fair. That's not right. I don't want to do that."

  There is one thing that will draw the ire of Gibson, and that is if he feels an umpire is baiting one of his players. But umpires rarely do that, Gibson said.

  "I told my players, 'Stay in the game, I'll take care of it,'" Gibson said. "I'll get thrown out. It's more important that I do than them. They need to stay in the game." (Steve Gilbert-6/04/13)
  

• September 26, 2014: The Diamondbacks fired Gibson as manager.

• When healthy, Kirk was electrifying on the bases. Singles became doubles, and doubles became triples when he got up a head of steam.

  He was very tough when breaking up the DP.

  And, Gibson would steal bases any time it helped the team.

• During the 1993 season, Kirk said of his running, "It is the one thing I know I can do. I can run fast, I can run hard, and I can run long. My legs are not an issue."

  POST-CAREER POSITIONS

• Jan 15, 2019:  While the Tigers continue their youth movement on the field, they'll go with a veteran lineup on the microphone that includes familiar faces in the broadcast booth. FOX Sports Detroit will turn to Hall of Famer Jack Morris to team with Kirk Gibson as analysts on Tigers telecasts alongside play-by-play man Matt Shepard, whose late-season audition led to the full-time job.

• Jan 28, 2019: Kirk Gibson's involvement with the Tigers will branch out from the broadcast booth this 2019 season and spread onto the field and into the meeting rooms. The former All-Star outfielder and National League Most Valuable Player Award winner is joining Detroit's front office as a special assistant.

  |The appointment gives Gibson a role assisting in on-field duties with the big league club and in the Minors, along with involvement in all personnel meetings. He'll also travel throughout the Tigers' farm system and participate in community relations while continuing his role as an analyst for Fox Sports Detroit, splitting game duties with Hall of Famer and former teammate Jack Morris.

• March 17, 2025:  Tigers legend Kirk Gibson will not be returning to the broadcast booth this season, but he will remain a part of the team’s front office as a special assistant while working with his foundation to continue the fight against Parkinson’s disease.
  
  

  The Tigers made the announcement in conjunction with FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, including a joint statement:
  
  “Whether on the field or in the community, Gibby is a shining example of what we all embody. His grit, tenacity, and dedication to the Olde English ‘D’ are unmatched qualities that have connected him so deeply with generations of Tigers fans.
  
  “Those same qualities are also why he’s been a key member of our organization and broadcast team across parts of the last four decades. Moving forward, Gibby will not be part of the broadcast team as a contributing analyst, however, he will maintain his other responsibilities within the organization.
  
  “While today marks the closing of one chapter, his profound influence on the Tigers and city of Detroit will endure and continue to grow in the future. All of us will be working closer than ever to support important causes, including with the Kirk Gibson Foundation to expand awareness of Parkinson’s and improve the quality of life for people battling the disease.”
  
  The 67-year-old Gibson visited Spring Training and was around Joker Marchant Stadium last week, but he was not part of any broadcast.

• The announcement also included a statement from Gibson:
  
  “Although I may be leaving the booth, my connection with the Tigers remains strong. Over the past 25 years, I have been honored to introduce integral parts of the game from my experiences as a player, manager, and coach. I’m incredibly grateful for the support from the Tigers organization, the Ilitch family, and Detroit’s loyal baseball fans.
  
  “On a personal level, I’ll be focusing on my current health while also continuing to support and encourage others battling Parkinson’s. Through my Foundation, we are opening the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness this fall. Developing this Center is a huge endeavor that will be the first of its kind in Michigan providing those impacted by Parkinson’s with access to a range of activity-based programs, completely free of charge.
  
  “This transition isn’t about me slowing down, it’s about moving forward with my mission to make a difference in the lives of those with Parkinson’s.” (J Beck - MLB.com - March 17, 2025)

POST-PLAYING CAREER POSITIONS

• 2003: Gibby was named as the Tigers Bench Coach, under new Manager Alan Trammell.

• July 1, 2005: Kirk switched places with Bruce Fields—Gibby became Hitting Coach, and Fields became Bench Coach.

• November 10, 2006: Gibson joined the Diamondbacks as Bench Coach.

• July 2, 2010: Gibson was named interim Manager for the Diamondbacks, replacing A.J. Hinch, who was fired as Arizona's skipper with the team having a 31-48 record—15 games behind the Padres.
  

• October 5, 2010: The Diamondbacks took the "interim" from before his title, signing Kirk to a two-year contract as Manager of the Arizona club through 2012.

• November 3, 2011: The D'Backs extended Gibson's contract another three years, through 2014, with club options for two more seasons, potentially through the 2016 season.