Jack Gibson

Playing Career

Vital Statistics

Full Name
John Arthur Gibson
Nickname(s)
Jack
Born
Wednesday, 27th February, 1929
Died
Friday, 9th May, 2008 (Aged 79 years and 71 days)
Place Of Birth
Kiama, New South Wales, Australia

Awards & Accolades

Dally M Coach Of The Year
1982

Biography

Super-coach' Jack Gibson started his playing career in St George's lower grades before moving to Easts. He played for NSW in 1954 and captained Easts in the 1960 grand final loss to St George but after a season with Newtown, he looked set for retirement until the club placed him on open contract at the end of 1962. Gibson was snapped up by Wests and played in the muddy grand final loss to St George in 1963 before staking his claim as the most innovative and successful coach of the modern era. In 1967 he took over an Easts side that failed to win a game the previous season and took them to the semi-finals in consecutive years. In 1970 Gibson linked with St George, only to see the club defeated in the 1971 grand final, and then coached Newtown in 1973 when the club captured its only club championship title. About this time Gibson took aspects of the training and professionalism of the American gridiron game and successfully transferred them to RL. With Easts in 1974-75, the club won consecutive grand finals with a thrilling, open attacking style of play. But at Souths though (1978-79) the club did not have the talent to make the semi-finals. Gibson then presided over the champion Parramatta club that won three premierships between 1981-83. His five premierships as coach equalled Ken Kearney's record with St George (1957-61). It is a measure of his standing in the game that champion players from many clubs and eras - from Arthur Beetson to Peter Sterling - speak in glowing terms of his motivation and communication ability. Gibson's three seasons with Cronulla in the mid 1980s did not yield a semi-final appearance and his talent to nurture players was not seen to advantage in the State of Origin arena in 1989-90. As a commentator with Channel 9 he was a master of the one-liner but the serious side of the man is best revealed in his tireless efforts to raise money for a number of charities. Gibson was a stabilising influence during the turmoil that rocked the Easts club during 1990 and oversaw the running of the football club until his retirement in 1993. Biography, When All Is Said and Done (1994).
- ALAN WHITICKER

Playing Career Statistics

All statistics shown in this section are based only on data available in the RLP database, and are not necessarily a complete and/or 100% accurate representation of a player's career. This information should be used as a guide only. If you see a question mark (?), it denotes that the figure is not available.

To view a list of corresponding matches, click on the List button.

Competitions

Competition   App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
NRL 154 31 -   - 93 78 72 4 50.65% List
Country Carnival 5 1 -   - 3 4 1 0 80.00% List
Tour Matches New South Wales Firsts 1 - -   - - 1 0 0 100.00% List
NRL Finals 8 1 -   - 3 3 5 0 37.50% List
Interstate Matches 1 - -   - - 1 0 0 100.00% List
Tour Matches Sydney Firsts 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List
City Cup 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List
Craven Mild Cup 4 - -   - - 0 4 0 0.00% List


Representative

Australia - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
NSW Firsts 1953-54 2 - -   - - 2 0 0 100.00% List
Probables (AU) 1954 2 - -   - - 1 0 1 50.00% List
NSW City Seconds 1954 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List
Sydney Firsts 1958 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List
Overall1953-1958 6 0 0   0 - 3 2 1 50.00% List


Club Career

NRL/NSWRL - By Year

Team Season App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Eastern Suburbs NSWRFL 1953 15 3 -   - 9 7 7 1 46.67% List
Eastern Suburbs NSWRFL 1954 9 3 -   - 9 3 5 1 33.33% List
Eastern Suburbs NSWRFL 1955 4 1 -   - 3 2 2 0 50.00% List
Eastern Suburbs NSWRFL 1956 10 3 -   - 9 3 6 1 30.00% List
Eastern Suburbs NSWRFL 1957 14 1 -   - 3 7 7 0 50.00% List
Eastern Suburbs NSWRFL 1958 16 4 -   - 12 8 8 0 50.00% List
Eastern Suburbs NSWRFL 1959 18 5 -   - 15 6 12 0 33.33% List
Eastern Suburbs NSWRFL 1960 21 5 -   - 15 13 8 0 61.90% List
Eastern Suburbs NSWRFL 1961 16 1 -   - 3 8 7 1 50.00% List
Newtown NSWRFL 1962 12 4 -   - 12 7 5 0 58.33% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1963 14 1 -   - 3 11 3 0 78.57% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1964 5 - -   - - 3 2 0 60.00% List

NRL/NSWRL - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Eastern Suburbs 1953-61 123 26 -   - 78 57 62 4 46.34% List
Newtown 1962 12 4 -   - 12 7 5 0 58.33% List
Western Suburbs 1963-64 19 1 -   - 3 14 5 0 73.68% List
Overall1953-1964 154 31 0   0 93 78 72 4 50.65% List

Your Say

  • roy horrigan
    13/04/2012

    very tough forward from the old school.innovative
    techniques that set the benchmark for all future
    coaches.tireless worker for charities.coached the
    outstanding easts sides of the mid 70s that
    dominated the competition.i was at henson park with my father and uncle the match that jack played
    for newtown against easts and i always remember
    that before kickoff he went and shook hands with
    all of his ex team mates.outstanding human being.
    irreplacable influence on the game.

  • johnny
    19/09/2012

    My Favourite Quote :
    " There are two kinds of players I won't have in my side....the bloke that won't do as he's told and the one that only does as he's told "

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Contributions: Rugby League Tables, Greg Fiveash, Andrew Ferguson, Paul Carter, Shawn Dollin, AJ Lucantonio, Alan Katzmann, Max Turner

Sources: Newspapers