George Gibson
George C. Gibson
(Moon)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11½", Weight 190 lb.
- Debut July 2, 1905
- Final Game August 20, 1918
- Born July 22, 1880 in London, ON CAN
- Died January 25, 1967 in London, ON CAN
Biographical Information[edit]
The father-in-law of Bill Warwick, catcher George Gibson played over a decade in the majors. He was a true ironman for the pennant-winning Pittsburgh Pirates in 1909 as he sat out only one game from the start of the season until October 3rd, that coming on May 5th. He started 150 of the Pirates' 154 games that year, with Paddy O'Connor starting one game and Mike Simon three. He hit .265 with 52 RBIs that season, contributing on both sides of the dish and also played every inning of the Pirates' win over the Detroit Tigers in the 1909 World Series.
After his playing career ended, he coached for the 1918 Syracuse Stars, managed the 1919 Toronto Maple Leafs was manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1920 to 1922. He was a Washington Senators coach in 1923 and became a member of the Chicago Cubs coaching staff in 1925 before taking over as the club's skipper late in the season. In 1926, he returned to his role as a Cubs coach as well as scouting for them, and from 1932 to 1934, Gibson was again the Pirates manager. Gibson was the last Canadian manager in the big leagues until Rob Thomson in 2022. He was vice president of the London Tigers in 1940-1941.
As seen in the photo above, Gibson was married to Margaret (neé McMurphy) (1879-1953). It's believed that the young boy in this portrait is their son George, who was born February 19, 1901 and the young girl is their daughter, Marguerite who was born December 3, 1902.
Notable Achievement[edit]
- Won a World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1909
| Preceded by Hugo Bezdek |
Pittsburgh Pirates Manager 1920-1922 |
Succeeded by Bill McKechnie |
| Preceded by Rabbit Maranville |
Chicago Cubs Manager 1925 |
Succeeded by Joe McCarthy |
| Preceded by Jewel Ens |
Pittsburgh Pirates Manager 1932-1934 |
Succeeded by Pie Traynor |
Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Toronto Maple Leafs | International League | 92-57 | 2nd | none | ||
| 1920 | Pittsburgh Pirates | National League | 79-75 | 4th | Pittsburgh Pirates | ||
| 1921 | Pittsburgh Pirates | National League | 90-63 | 2nd | Pittsburgh Pirates | ||
| 1922 | Pittsburgh Pirates | National League | 32-33 | -- | Pittsburgh Pirates | replaced by Bill McKechnie on July 1 | |
| 1925 | Chicago Cubs | National League | 12-14 | 8th | Chicago Cubs | replaced Bill Killefer (33-42) and Rabbit Maranville (23-30) on September 3 | |
| 1932 | Pittsburgh Pirates | National League | 86-68 | 2nd | Pittsburgh Pirates | ||
| 1933 | Pittsburgh Pirates | National League | 87-67 | 2nd | Pittsburgh Pirates | ||
| 1934 | Pittsburgh Pirates | National League | 27-24 | -- | Pittsburgh Pirates | replaced by Pie Traynor on June 19 |
Further Reading[edit]
- Richard C. Armstrong: George “Mooney” Gibson: Canadian Catcher for the Deadball Era Pirates, McFarland, Jefferson, NC. ISBN 978-1-4766-7969-3
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