Aaron Gibson (born September 27, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. He also was a member of the Austin Wranglers and Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at the University of Wisconsin.
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| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | September 27, 1977 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 370 lb (168 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Indianapolis (IN) Decatur Central | ||||||
| College: | Wisconsin | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1999 / round: 1 / pick: 27 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early life
editGibson attended Decatur Central High School, where he lettered in football and track. He holds the record for heaviest NFL player ever, at 410 lbs, weighing over 350 lbs in high school.[1]
He was a two-way player. As a senior, he was a first-team All-state selection and was named as a Top 33 Pick by the Bloomington Herald-Times. As a defensive tackle, he had 8 fumble recoveries and 11 passes defensed.
College career
editGibson accepted a football scholarship from the University of Wisconsin. He didn't play in his freshman year because of failing to meet the requirements of Proposition 48. The next year, he was a reserve right tackle behind All-American Jerry Wunsch and was used primarily as a blocking tight end, after making his debut in the fifth game against Ohio State University.[2]
As a junior in 1997, he became the starter at right tackle. He spent two seasons blocking for Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne, who set the NCAA Division I career rushing record (6,397 yards) in 1999.
As a senior in 1998, Gibson was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, after having been named to the first-teams of the Football Writers Association, American Football Coaches Association, and the Football News and the Walter Camp Foundation. He was also a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection. He was the first player in school history to be named a finalist for the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy awards.
Professional career
editPre-draft
editIn the 1999 NFL Scouting Combine, Gibson ran the 40-yard dash in 5.3 seconds.[2] He was described as "a proto-type right tackle in the NFL," for having "a huge body with big legs and a gigantic chest".[2]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
386 lb (175 kg) |
35+1⁄2 in (0.90 m) |
10+1⁄2 in (0.27 m) |
5.23 s | 1.79 s | 3.02 s | 4.54 s | 7.99 s | 34.0 in (0.86 m) |
9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) |
31 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[3] | ||||||||||||
Detroit Lions
editGibson was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 27th overall pick in the 1999 National Football League Draft.[4] He was expected to be the starting right tackle as a rookie, but suffered a left shoulder injury in an April post-draft minicamp and was placed on the injured reserve list.
The following season, he started the first 10 games at right tackle, until suffering a right shoulder injury (torn posterior subluxation) and being placed on the injured reserve list on December 4. In 2001, he started five of the first six games of the season, before being waived on October 30.[5]
Dallas Cowboys
editOn October 31, 2001, he was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys but played only in the season finale. In 2002, Gibson had the distinction of becoming the NFL's first player to be officially listed at 400 pounds or 181 kilograms.[6] Gibson was limited by a knee injury in training camp and eventually released on September 18, 2002.[7]
Chicago Bears
editOn November 26, 2002, he was signed by the Chicago Bears as a free agent to replace an injured Marc Colombo.[8] In 2003, he had his most consistent professional season, starting at right tackle in all sixteen games with the Bears, after Colombo was lost for the year when he was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list. In 2004, he played four games (three starts) and was declared inactive in 10. It would be the last season in which he made an appearance in a regular season NFL game.
Buffalo Bills
editOn April 5, 2006, Gibson signed with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent. He was cut on August 28.
Austin Wranglers (AFL)
editOn January 24, 2007, he was signed by the Austin Wranglers of the Arena Football League.[9] On April 4, he was placed on the injured reserve list. On May 5, he was activated. He played in eleven games and had 3 tackles for the season. On July 30, he was traded along with defensive lineman Rob Schroeder to the Utah Blaze in exchange for past considerations.[9]
Utah Blaze (AFL)
editOn October 12, 2007, he was traded to the Dallas Desperados in exchange for offensive lineman Devin Wyman and future considerations.[10]
Dallas Desperados (AFL)
editOn February 22, 2008, he was released by the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League, owned by Jerry Jones, who also owned the Dallas Cowboys, where Gibson had previously played.[11]
Cleveland Gladiators (AFL)
editOn March 13, 2008, he was signed by the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League.[12] On May 22, he was placed on the injured reserve list.
Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings (AFL)
editOn March 22, 2010, he was assigned to the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings.[13] On August 9, he was suspended by the team.[13] He was not re-signed after the season.
References
edit- ^ Frias, Carlos (October 29, 2006). "Pressure to grow burdened Gibson". Palm Beach Post.
- ^ a b c "Big Cheese The Badgers Aaron Gibson Pruned His Weight To 371 And Blossomed Into A Bulldozer Of A Blocker Who Probably Will Be The First Lineman Taken In The NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated. April 1999. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Aaron Gibson, Combine Results, OT - Wisconsin". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "1999 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ "Lions waive '99 top pick Gibson". October 31, 2001. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "NFL lineman comes up big: no fat lies". July 28, 2002. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Cowboys release Gibson". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Big deal: Bears bring in Gibson". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ a b "Aaron Gibson". ArenaFan.com. 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Blaze trade Gibson to Dallas". ArenaFan.com. October 12, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Desperados release eight, re-sign Jones". ArenaFan.com. 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Gladiators Sign Aaron Gibson". ArenaFan.com. 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ a b "Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings Team Roster". ArenaFan.com. 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2018.