Bob Gibson

Pack Robert Gibson Jr. (November 9, 1935 – October 2, 2020), known as "Gibby" or "Hoot," spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. A fierce competitor, he finished with 251 wins, 3,117 strikeouts, and a 2.91 ERA. He was a nine-time All-Star, won two World Series titles, earned two Cy Young Awards, and was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1968.

Gibson was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the youngest of seven children. His father died of tuberculosis three months before he was born, and he was originally named after him—though he later legally dropped the first name "Pack." Despite battling rickets and respiratory illness as a child, Gibson thrived in sports, especially baseball and basketball. His older brother Josh, fifteen years his senior, coached many of his youth teams and acted as a mentor. Gibson attended Omaha Technical High School, where he played track, basketball, and baseball, earning All-State honors in basketball. He received a full basketball scholarship to Creighton University after Indiana University turned him down, citing a filled "Negro athlete quota." At Creighton, he studied sociology, averaged 22 points per game as a junior, and made third-team Jesuit All-American.

In spring 1957, as graduation neared, Gibson married and attracted interest from both the Harlem Globetrotters and the St. Louis Cardinals. He signed a deal that let him play minor league baseball that summer, then join the Globetrotters for four months. After that, he committed to baseball full-time, receiving a $3,000 signing bonus from the Cardinals.

Gibson began his pro career with the Omaha Cardinals, a Triple-A affiliate, but struggled with a 4.29 ERA in ten games. He was sent down to Single-A Columbus, where his ERA dropped to 3.77 in eight starts. The next season, he improved with Rochester (Triple-A), posting a 2.45 ERA in 20 games, then returned to Omaha with a 3.31 ERA and his first professional shutout. He made his MLB debut on April 15, 1959, pitching two relief innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers and giving up a home run to the first batter he faced. After a brief return to Omaha, he came back on July 30 to start and win his first game—a shutout against the Cincinnati Reds. His 1960 season followed a similar pattern, with limited big-league time and a 3–6 record and 5.61 ERA.

Gibson became a full-time starter in July 1961 and earned his first All-Star nod in 1962. He won two of three starts in the 1964 World Series, then notched his first 20-win season in 1965. In the 1967 World Series, he pitched three complete-game victories. He is one of only four players and two pitchers to win multiple World Series MVP awards. His peak came in 1968, the "Year of the Pitcher," when he posted a 1.12 ERA and struck out 17 in Game 1 of the World Series. He threw a no-hitter in 1971 but later dealt with knee swelling. When he retired in 1975, he ranked second all-time in strikeouts behind Walter Johnson. Teammate Tim McCarver joked, "Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He always pitches when the other team doesn't score any runs."

Gibson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, his first year of eligibility. The Cardinals retired his number 45 in September 1975, the year he retired. He was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. He died of pancreatic cancer on October 2, 2020.