The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) has announced it will formally induct its Hall of Fame Class of 2023 on July 26th at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY.
This year’s representative from Section XI is former pro pitcher Paul Gibson, who played at Center Moriches High School.
Gibson was an incredibly talented three-sport athlete. He earned numerous honors in baseball, basketball, and soccer during a career in which he earned eight varsity letters. He earned All-County honors once in basketball and twice in soccer, but was most known for a dominant baseball. Gibson was a two-time All-American in 1976 and 1977 and garnered All-State, All County, and All-League honors from 1975-78. He posted a 36-5 record, 0.39 ERA ,and struck out 412 hitters in high school, and his teams won three league titles and one country crown. In 1978, following his senior year of high school, he was drafted in the third round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Cincinnati Reds.
The Detroit Tigers signed him as a free agent in 1984, and in 1987, the southpaw led the International League in victories and was third in games started. This paved the way for a Major League debut as a relief pitcher on April 8, 1988. That same year, the Detroit Baseball Writers Association named him the Tigers Rookie of the Year. He played seven seasons in the Majors, 19 total seasons, including minor league ball, with the Tigers, Mets, and Yankees. Paul retired after the 1996 season, but not before accumulating 22 wins, 11 saves, 345 strikeouts, and a 4.07 ERA in 556 innings.
Following his professional career, Gibson was named head coach of the Center Moriches High School varsity baseball team, serving from 2000-2006 and guiding the team to two Long Island Championships and a 149-26 career record. In 2006, he became a scout for the Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, and Kansas City Royals. Mr. Gibson has been inducted into the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame (1995) and the Center Moriches Hall of Fame (2012). In 2016, Center Moriches School District named its baseball field after Paul and retired his jersey number.
He ran the All Pro Sports Academy in Bellport, Long Island, from 1995-2012, and since then, Gibson has been the Senior Director of Pitching Performance for the Kansas City Royals. Paul resides in Center Moriches with his wife, Carla. The couple has two sons and four grandchildren.