Gibson is regarded as one of the greatest rugby union players. On his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame in May 2011, former teammate and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Syd Millar said of him: "... [he] was one of the finest players of his generation, one of the finest players ever to represent Ireland and the British & Irish Lions and a man who epitomised the very ethos of the Game and its values".[1]
Gibson's distinguished career began with Ireland in 1964 and he earned his 69th and final cap in the second and final test win against Australia in Sydney in 1979 at age 36. A versatile player, he represented his country in four different positions. His all-round talent marked him out as a centre of distinction. Prior to moving to centre, Gibson played fly half to a high level. He was known for the perception and timing of his attacking play, the focus and anticipation of his defence and the dedication and commitment with which he applied himself across a 15-year international career in which he appeared in a then-world record 81 Tests, including five tours with the British & Irish Lions
Famed as much for good hands and line-breaking ability as his tactical skills and rapier boot, Gibson scored 112 Test points (9 tries, 16 penalties, 7 conversions and 6 drop goals) for Ireland.
Gibson's record Ireland caps haul of 69 was overtaken by lock Malcolm O'Kelly against Scotland in February 2005. The mark had lasted for 26 years. His record of 56 appearances in the Five Nations (now Six Nations) was not equalled until countryman Ronan O'Gara reached the mark in Ireland's final match of the 2011 Six Nations.
British and Irish LionsEdit
On the 1968 tour to South Africa, Gibson made history in the opening Test by becoming the first replacement in international rugby. He showed stamina by playing in 11 of the final 13 matches after Welsh fly-half Barry John had been invalided out of the tour.[2]
The 1971 tour remains to date the Lions' sole series victory over the All Blacks; it was on this tour that Gibson won the respect of the New Zealand rugby public with his attacking flair and timing.[2]
Gibson's work commitments saw him join the 1974 Lions in South Africa as a replacement during the second half of the tour. Gibson was known for his humility and demonstrated it here by willingly playing understudy to the new Test pairing of Ian McGeechan and Richard Milliken.[2]
Gibson was selected for his fifth Lions tour in 1977, equalling fellow Irishman Willie John McBride's record. However, back and hamstring problems meant that Gibson was unable to compete for a test place.[2]
Representative teamsEdit
Gibson played for a combined Scotland/Ireland XV in the 1970 Centenary of RFU celebration match against a combined England/Wales XV[3] and again in the 1972 Scottish Rugby Union Centenary match.[4]
HonoursEdit
He was awarded an MBE for services to the game.
When the International Rugby Hall of Fame was instituted in 1997, Gibson was one of the initial fifteen inductees. Upon his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011, Gibson was quick to pay tribute to his teammates, calling rugby the greatest team sport.[1]
In an interview in 2011, Irish rugby great Brian O'Driscoll praised Gibson's contribution to Irish rugby:
At times when Irish rugby wasn't successful Mike was always the shining light. He played international rugby for 15 years and that speaks volumes about him. He was a magnificent player and a true ambassador for the game.[5]
Professional careerEdit
After retirement, Gibson practised as a solicitor in Belfast and continued to play an active role in the rugby community.[1] Fellow Irish international David Humphreys trained as a solicitor in Gibson's firm.
ReferencesEdit
^ abc (Press release). International Rugby Board. 11 May 2011. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
mike, gibson, rugby, union, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliable, sources, contentious, material, about, living, persons, that, unsourced, poorly, sourced, must, removed, immediately, from,. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Mike Gibson rugby union news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message Cameron Michael Henderson Gibson MBE born 3 December 1942 is a former rugby union international player who represented Ireland and the British amp Irish Lions Mike GibsonBirth nameCameron Michael Henderson GibsonDate of birth 1942 12 03 3 December 1942 age 80 Place of birthBelfast Northern IrelandSchoolCampbell CollegeUniversityUniversity of CambridgeRugby union careerPosition s CentreInternational careerYearsTeamApps Points 1964 19791966 19711963 1976IrelandLionsBarbarians69129 112 0 6 Correct as of 24 June 2012Gibson is regarded as one of the greatest rugby union players On his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame in May 2011 former teammate and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Syd Millar said of him he was one of the finest players of his generation one of the finest players ever to represent Ireland and the British amp Irish Lions and a man who epitomised the very ethos of the Game and its values 1 Contents 1 Early life 2 Club career 3 International career 3 1 Ireland 3 2 British and Irish Lions 4 Representative teams 5 Honours 6 Professional career 7 References 8 External linksEarly life EditGibson was educated at Campbell College in Belfast and went on to study law at Queens College Cambridge Club career EditGibson played the bulk of his career for North of Ireland F C North While studying Gibson played for Cambridge University In February 1966 he played for London Irish against St Mary s Hospital He continued playing club rugby until 42 International career EditIreland Edit This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately Find sources Mike Gibson rugby union news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Gibson s distinguished career began with Ireland in 1964 and he earned his 69th and final cap in the second and final test win against Australia in Sydney in 1979 at age 36 A versatile player he represented his country in four different positions His all round talent marked him out as a centre of distinction Prior to moving to centre Gibson played fly half to a high level He was known for the perception and timing of his attacking play the focus and anticipation of his defence and the dedication and commitment with which he applied himself across a 15 year international career in which he appeared in a then world record 81 Tests including five tours with the British amp Irish LionsFamed as much for good hands and line breaking ability as his tactical skills and rapier boot Gibson scored 112 Test points 9 tries 16 penalties 7 conversions and 6 drop goals for Ireland Gibson s record Ireland caps haul of 69 was overtaken by lock Malcolm O Kelly against Scotland in February 2005 The mark had lasted for 26 years His record of 56 appearances in the Five Nations now Six Nations was not equalled until countryman Ronan O Gara reached the mark in Ireland s final match of the 2011 Six Nations British and Irish Lions Edit On the 1968 tour to South Africa Gibson made history in the opening Test by becoming the first replacement in international rugby He showed stamina by playing in 11 of the final 13 matches after Welsh fly half Barry John had been invalided out of the tour 2 In the 1971 tour to New Zealand Gibson formed a strong midfield combination alongside captain John Dawes With Gareth Edwards Barry John Gerald Davies J P R Williams and David Duckham this was one of the finest backlines in Lions history The 1971 tour remains to date the Lions sole series victory over the All Blacks it was on this tour that Gibson won the respect of the New Zealand rugby public with his attacking flair and timing 2 Gibson s work commitments saw him join the 1974 Lions in South Africa as a replacement during the second half of the tour Gibson was known for his humility and demonstrated it here by willingly playing understudy to the new Test pairing of Ian McGeechan and Richard Milliken 2 Gibson was selected for his fifth Lions tour in 1977 equalling fellow Irishman Willie John McBride s record However back and hamstring problems meant that Gibson was unable to compete for a test place 2 Representative teams EditGibson played for a combined Scotland Ireland XV in the 1970 Centenary of RFU celebration match against a combined England Wales XV 3 and again in the 1972 Scottish Rugby Union Centenary match 4 Honours EditHe was awarded an MBE for services to the game When the International Rugby Hall of Fame was instituted in 1997 Gibson was one of the initial fifteen inductees Upon his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011 Gibson was quick to pay tribute to his teammates calling rugby the greatest team sport 1 In January 2012 Gibson was inducted into the Belfast Telegraph Hall of Fame 5 In an interview in 2011 Irish rugby great Brian O Driscoll praised Gibson s contribution to Irish rugby At times when Irish rugby wasn t successful Mike was always the shining light He played international rugby for 15 years and that speaks volumes about him He was a magnificent player and a true ambassador for the game 5 Professional career EditAfter retirement Gibson practised as a solicitor in Belfast and continued to play an active role in the rugby community 1 Fellow Irish international David Humphreys trained as a solicitor in Gibson s firm References Edit a b c Mike Gibson inducted into IRB Hall of Fame Press release International Rugby Board 11 May 2011 Archived from the original on 13 May 2011 Retrieved 11 May 2011 a b c d The British amp Irish Lions Mike Gibson Big Match amp Celebration Programmes Rugbyrelics com Archived from the original on 18 January 2006 Retrieved 23 July 2013 Mike Gibson The Greatest 16 April 2013 Archived from the original on 13 December 2021 Retrieved 23 July 2013 via YouTube a b Beacom Steven 18 January 2012 Belfast Telegraph Sports Awards Mike Gibson a true Ulster legend Belfast Telegraph External links EditMike Gibson at sporting heroes net Mike Gibson at ESPNscrum Barbarians Profile Total Rugby Mike Gibson Hall of Fame on YouTube Mike Gibson on YouTube Mike Gibson at the World Rugby Hall of Fame Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mike Gibson rugby union amp oldid 1178078340, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
