Joe Gibbon, a multi-sport athlete who was one of the most admired in Mississippi’s history, passed away Wednesday at Newton. He was 83 years old. Gibbon was born in Hickory in Newton County. He was an All-American basketball player as well as a All-SEC pitcher for Ole Miss during the mid-1950s. He played 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, and was a contributing member of the 1960 World Series winning Pittsburgh Pirates. Gibbon’s basketball skills were what made him a popular player at Ole Miss. He was a 6-foot-4 forward and finished second in the country in scoring in 1957, scoring an average of 30.2 points per contest. Gibbon averaged 14 rebounds per game in the same season. Grady Nelson from South Carolina was the national leader at 31.2 points per match. What’s more, Baylor, who played college basketball at Seattle, was next at 29.7 points per game, followed by Chamberlain from Kansas at 29.6. Is Elgin Baylor and Wilt chamberlain ahead? This is a rare company. Gibbon was also against rare company in Ole Miss-Mississippi State’s rivalry in 1957, when he played against Bailey Howell. Gibbon is also remembered by Howell, another basketball All-American who scored 27 points per game and grabbed 17 rebounds during his college career. “Well, it has been – what, for 67 years?” But I do recall Joe being able to shoot the lights from the gym,” Howell stated. He was left-handed, and he was a great athlete. I was there when he pitched against the Mississippi State baseball team. I still remember the moment when he hit one the longest home runs that I have ever seen. Howell stated, “We played against each other twice in my sophomore year.” He was either the national scoring leader or second. My teammate Jim Ashmore and I were in the top 10. It was quite remarkable to think about: Three of the top 10 scorers nationally were on the same floor in Mississippi during Gibbon’s time at Ole Miss. Curtis Wilkie was a Corinth high school student. He was a frequent spectator of Gibbon’s play. Wilkie stated that although Ole Miss was not very good at the time, Joe Gibbon was great. He was not a graceful athlete. His basketball moves were not very elegant, but he did the job. He was a skilled athlete who knew how to use his body. He was able to score more points than Wilt The Stilt in that one year. He was doing something right.” Gibbon was selected by the Boston Celtics to play basketball, despite his prior insistence that he wanted to play professional baseball. Don Kessinger is another multi-sport athlete from Mississippi who came to Ole Miss four year after Gibbon left for professional baseball. Kessinger stated that although Joe was not at Ole Miss when I arrived, there was still a lot of talk about him. “Everybody talked about how great he was as an NBA player,” Kessinger said. Kessinger is an All American in both basketball and baseball at Ole Miss. He first saw Gibbon’s baseball skills. Kessinger stated, “Oh yes, I batting against him many times during the Major Leagues.” He was a left-handed pitcher with a large arm and threw a hard, sinking fastball that resulted in a lot ground balls outs. Gibbon was a great pitcher and was also a wonderful guy. He had a 4-2 record as a rookie pitcher for the World Champion Pirates. His World Series check of $8,400, which was more than his rookie salary, was $7,500. His second season in 1961 saw him achieve a record of 13-10, with a career-high of three shutouts. Gibbon played 13 seasons for the Pirates (San Francisco Giants), Cincinnati Reds (Houston Astros) and won 61 games. He also lost 65 and saved 32 other. His lifetime earned run average was just 3.52. He was known as “Hickory Joe” Gibbon in the Major Leagues. Gibbon was inducted into both the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Ole Miss Men’s All-Century basketball team on February 21, 2009. Visitation will take place Sunday, 3-6 p.m., at Newton County Funeral Home South in Newton. Funeral services will be held Monday, February 25, at 11:00 at Newton County Funeral Home South. Donna Price Gibbon, his wife, preceded him in death. His children Joe Gibbon Jr. and David Gibbon (Kristi), Jennifer Gibbon Seal, Luke Gibbon(Dawn), Dan Gibbon, and Dan Gibbon are his survivors. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Clarke College Alumni Scholarship Fund or the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Museum._x000D