Gibbs accepts Gundy invite
The familiar face looked out of place. Not because the man stood on a gridiron. He’s been standing amid those striped lines for four decades. He’s a football coach. Where else is he supposed to be on an August morning before school is in session?
But in Stillwater? In the Sherman E. Smith Training Center, where Mike Gundy’s Cowboys were prepping for the fast-approaching kickoff to the 2018 season?
Is that where anyone thought they would see Gary Gibbs?
But there stood Gibbs. Observing OSU practice Tuesday morning, turns out by Gundy’s invitation.
“He’s going to be around here quite a bit, I think,” Gundy said.
Well isn’t that interesting? Gundy has asked Gibbs, one of the greatest defensive minds in our state’s history, to observe the Cowboys and offer any insights that might help knock down a pass or stuff a third-and-2 run.
Gibbs’ trips to Stillwater have mostly been in enemy colors. As an OU linebacker in 1973. As an OU assistant coach between his playing days and 1989, when he was named the Sooner head coach. Six years guiding OU through what seemed like troubled times, though Soonerville
discovered what trouble really looked like after Gibbs’ departure.
The 66-year-old Gibbs has spent the last 16 seasons as an NFL defensive coach, with the Cowboys, Saints and Chiefs, but Kansas City coach Andy Reid didn’t retain Gibbs after last season. So Gibbs returned to Norman and went about the business of enjoying his grandchildren.
Gundy got wind of Gibbs’ availability and asked Johnny Barr, OSU’s director of football relations, to reach out. Barr played at OU just before Gibbs arrived in 1970, and Barr was on Gibbs’ Sooner staff.
“I said, ‘Why don’t you see if he’ll come up and watch some practice, give us some info?’” Gundy said he told Barr. “What the heck?”
So Tuesday, Gibbs arrived. There is no word
on how frequently he’ll come. Every day? For certain practices? When he feels like it?
Don’t know. Gibbs was polite but tight-lipped, just like always.
“Mike’s been very kind to let me come up here and hang around a little bit,” Gibbs said. “I enjoyed it.”
They go back a long way. Gibbs was Barry Switzer’s defensive coordinator from 198188, which means Gibbs was around when Gundy came out of Midwest City High School and picked the Cowboys over the Sooners, a decision which has proved profound.
Gundy became the Big Eight’s all-time leading passer and now is OSU’s all-time greatest football coach. Gibbs was commissioned to stop those Gundy-quarterbacked offenses and mostly did — OU won 19-0 in 1986, 29-10 in 1987 and 37-15 in 1989, but the Sooners’ 31-28 victory in 1988 was high-flying for both offenses. Then Gundy was on Pat Jones’ OSU staffs the final five years of Gibbs’ OU days, and Gundy’s brother, Cale, was a four-year starting quarterback for Gibbs.
These guys have a history.
“Gary’s a defensive genius,” Gundy said. “I don’t know what you call him. He’s brilliant. Put it that way. So we invited him up, come spend some time with us. Watch and see what he has to say.
“I spent 30 minutes with him this morning, just talking to him about different things. It’s interesting listening to him. He thinks a little different from most people, too. Especially
football wise.
“You know, you have your crazy-loud defensive coaches, then you have guys like him that are thinkers and processors. So I spent a lot of time with him. I’m trying to get him to come up as much as possible and be with us.”
I don’t know if Gundy plans to hire Gibbs as an analyst, the new position in college football in which coaches can’t get on the practice field but can observe and break down video. Those jobs pay $50,000 and schools can hire as many as they want. Gundy already has two defensive analysts in longtime assistant coaches Chris Thurmond and Bill Clay.
I don’t know if Gibbs wants to commit to anything regular. He’s been on football fields for 43 of the last 48 autumns, stepping out only from 1995-99, after he was fired by OU and went into the insurance business.
But football lured him back, first as defensive coordinator at Georgia (2000) and LSU (2001, for Nick Saban), then the NFL. You never want to get too far from what you’re best at, and Gibbs is best at coaching defensive football.
“He doesn’t have an ego,” Gundy said. “I just have a lot of respect for him. I think he’s a great person and I know he’s a smart football coach.
“He’s got some free time. He looked great. I told him, ‘hell, you’re the ageless wonder. You look good.’”
The Cowboys are rebuilding their defense around new coordinator Jim Knowles.
Gundy said he told
Gibbs, “If you see anything, let me know. Today was his first day. If he brings something up, there’s probably a chance it’s right. I may want to say, ‘hey, this is what he saw. Throw it in the trash if you want, but at least there’s somebody watching.’ It was good to have him around.”
Even if the face didn’t match the place.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 ora tb tr am el@ oklahoman. com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok. com/berrytramel.