League legend Jack Gibson passes away

[laura]

League legend Jack Gibson passes away
Friday May 9, 08:32 PM


Rugby league coach of the century Jack Gibson has died after a lengthy illness.

His family said the five-time premiership winning coach had passed away at 6.32pm AEST on Friday in Sydney after suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia for the past two years.

Gibson was last month named as the coach of rugby league's Team of the Century, with his passing marked on Friday night with a minute's silence before kickoff at the Centenary Test between Australia and New Zealand at the SCG.

"Jack passed away comfortably today, at 6.32pm at the Garrawarra Centre, Waterfall, surrounded by his family," a statement said.

"We greatly appreciate the wonderful care he had received at Garrawarra, and also the caring and kind support afforded to us, the family.

"We are dealing as well as we can and would ask that Jack's many friends in their sadness that he is no longer with us, do not feel too sorry.

"Jack would not want that; it was his own strong belief and appreciation that he had had a very fortunate life, and we know he would have wanted that to be the spirit of this time."

Gibson won a total of five premierships with Eastern Suburbs in 1974-75 and Parramatta between 1981-83 and earned the nicknamed "Super coach" after revolutionising the role.

A former Easts, Newtown and Western Suburbs front-rower who played 162 first grade games, Gibson began coaching at the Roosters in 1967, taking the Bondi side that hadn't won a game the previous year to the semi-finals.

His Roosters teams in 1974-75 and the Eels teams of 1981-83 are regarded as some of the most brilliant club teams ever assembled.

He also coached the NSW State of Origin team in 1989-90.

Apart from his premiership-winning ability, Gibson was also famous for his one-liners as a commentator, his charity work and the coaching techniques he sourced from professional American football clubs.

Eels great Peter Sterling, who played halfback for Gibson in Parramatta's hat-trick of premierships, said tonight he had been "absolutely shattered" by news of his former coach's death.

"I played under Jack Gibson for a number of years, won three premierships and I'm absolutely shattered," said the Network Nine commentator.

"I guess we knew this night was coming ... but it's very hard to digest.

"Jack, he loved his players, he cared about his players. And I think the great thing about being coached by Jack Gibson ... is he was more concerned about you off the field than he ever was on (the field).

"He made wonderful footballers, but he also made wonderful people and I thank Jack Gibson eternally for being a part of my life and I know I speak on behalf of every rugby league player and every rugby league supporter who was lucky enough to see Jack in action."

[chook]

THanks for the memories Jack. (Gibbs On)

[shasta]

(Gibbs On)

Pearce off. Jack, Gibbs on.

Truly legendary character. Best remembered quote (speaking about the Lang Park Origin crowd) "Fair dinkum they'd boo Santa Claus, this mob."

RIP.

[jargan83]

I'm speechless

RIP

[The InnFORCEr]

An absolute legned of the game....RIP Super Coach

[jono]

Rugby league great Gibson farewelled
AAP - May 14, 2008, 6:13 pm

Some of the hardest men in rugby league choked back tears, and some of the biggest names found it was standing room only, when over 1,000 people gathered to farewell the game's greatest coach, Jack Gibson.

Old warriors like Arthur Beetson, who captained Gibson's Eastern Suburbs team to two premierships in the 1970s, were happy to stand out in the foyer of the packed church in Cronulla where Gibson had lived, coached and prayed.

So was Ricky Stuart, the Australian and Cronulla coach.

Current Easts players like Braith Anasta and Anthony Minichiello busied themselves ferrying in chairs, then stood out the back, too.

At the end they helped form a guard of honour with their coach Brad Fittler and teammates including Willie Mason and Craig Fitzgibbon.

Mourners included NRL boss David Gallop, former ARL chief John Quayle, Broncos and former Australian coach Wayne Bennett, Olympic great Dawn Fraser, broadcaster and former Wallabies coach Alan Jones, and players from the Parramatta side Gibson coached to three titles in the early 1980s, including Peter Sterling and Brett Kenny.

Gibson, who died aged 79 last Friday hours before Australia downed New Zealand in the centenary Test, was named coach of the century last month.

But he was remembered not only for his achievements on the field, but his care for players off it.

"His priority was to make sure every player was happy in his life off the field," Quayle told mourners, recounting how when he came to Easts from the NSW country in the 1960s, Gibson moved him from an old boarding house to a beautiful home in Clovelly inside a week.

Quayle also remembered how Gibson took him for a meal of spaghetti following his first training session, riding in a white Cadillac convertible, but the second week it was in a Holden.

When he asked what happened to the Cadillac, he was told: "Jack lost it in a card game."

"Jack's influence has reached every corner of the rugby league world, and beyond," Quayle said.

"You have been called many things but I think the word 'legend' should sit alongside your name now.

"I guess God said last Friday night: 'The time is right, you've done your job.'"

Gibson's local priest said he had no doubt that when Gibson reached the gates of heaven, God would say to him: "Done good, played strong."

Gibson's daughter Susan said her father was so tough he used to use Baygon surface spray as a personal insecticide.

She recalled how he was a keen fisherman who taught his daughters how to "fish" with a wallet, tying it to a piece of fishing line and hiding in the bushes until a passing motorist stopped to pick it from the roadside.

One motorist caught by the trick was so "ropable" he tore the wallet off the line, and her father had to pursue him and retrieve the wallet with the help of a "swift punch".

Gibson, who suffered from dementia in his final years, had five objects placed on his coffin by his five surviving children, including his baptism cowl, rosary beads, a family photo and his bush hat.

The last object was his green-and-gold centenary blazer.

Sadly, the man anointed the game's greatest coach died without knowing its significance.