A member of the most successful Kansas State basketball team in school history died last month at 94.
John “Hoot” Gibson died on August 28, just a couple of weeks shy of his birthday.
Gibson was a member of the 1950-51 Wildcat team that fell just short of a national title, losing to Kentucky in the NCAA Championship game.
The 1950-51 team, coached by hall of famers Jack Gardner and Tex Winter, posted a 25-4 overall record, including an 11-1 mark in Big Seven play, en route to becoming the first and only K-State athletics team to advance to an NCAA Championship game. The 25 wins stood as the school record until the Wildcats won 29 games in 2009-10. The squad captured both the Big Seven Holiday Tournament as well as the conference regular season title, which included a 13-game winning streak.
Gibson averaged 5.4 points that season, but was known more for his quickness and defensive prowess. According to a report from the Mercury on Jan. 18, 1951, fans would holler out “hoot-hoot” when Gibson would score or make a standout defensive play.
The 6-foot-3 graduate of Pittsburg High School also helped the Wildcats to two Big 7 Championships.
Gibson obtained his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at K-State and then earned a PhD in Veterinary Pathology from Ohio State.
He was a first lieutenant in the Army during the Korean War
Gibson worked for their years at Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical Company in Cincinnati, serving as the department head of pathology and toxicology and senior director of drug safety. He was also a adjunct assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine from 1965 to 1990.
He continued to pursue athletic achievement into his later years, winning multiple gold medals in basketball and volleyball in the Senior Olympics almost every year from 1996 to 2010.
He was preceded in death in 2019 by his wife Mary and is survived by his two children and numerous grandchildren and great-grand children.
His celebration of life will be held on Nov. 8th and 11 am at Maple Knoll Village Chapel in Springdale, Ohio.