Todd Gibson, known as “Gibby” around the station, bursts with an enthusiasm for sports. He has covered the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup finals and dozens of ACC games.
But he harbors a love for high school sports that dates to his days as a quarterback and pitcher for Leipsic High School in northwest Ohio.
“It’s a more pure sport,” Gibson said. “These kids are in it for the love of the game.
“And it’s the teamwork. These kids grew up with each other.”
Gibson, who is married and has two sons, is thrilled to be sharing stories of the region’s high school teams in the Friday Night Blitz. Some of his fondest memories came while playing quarterback on a 10-0 team.
“These are your guys. These are your friends,” Gibson said. “And to go to battle with them on a Friday night, there’s nothing better than that. On Friday nights, you are one team and you are out there to beat another community. There’s nothing like it.”
Getting to know “Gibby”
Hometown: Leipsic, Ohio, a town of 2,000 people in the northwest part of the state
High school: Played quarterback on a 10-0 team his senior year, 1982, that didn’t make the playoffs because of a points system (Is he still mad about it? Uh, yeah). Also pitched for the baseball team and was conference Player of the Year.
College: Bowling Green, graduated in 1987
Professional career: Started at WNCT in Greenville in 1987, and eventually became the sports weekend anchor. Moved to WRAL in 1995 for eight years and covered high schools regularly. Joined WNCN in 2003 and shot both the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup finals for the station. Launched Friday Night Blitz in 2011.
You can contact Todd by email at tgibson@cbs17.com.
