Kirk Gibson, who received only 2.5 percent of the vote during his lone appearance on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2001, has reached immortality in another sport.
The former All-Star outfielder was once a star wide receiver at Michigan State, and his gridiron career is now being properly recognized. On Monday, Gibson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of a star-studded class of 2017 that also includes Peyton Manning and Marshall Faulk.
"It's an incredible honor to be selected to the College Football Hall of Fame," Gibson said in a release by Michigan State. "But I would be remiss if I didn't recognize all those who were there to lift me up when I was down, or those who kicked me in the ass when it was warranted. I was blessed to have dedicated and supportive family, friends, teammates and coaches. This award is in honor of all of them and significant in illustrating the power of we."
Gibson, now a Detroit Tigers broadcaster, played at Michigan State from 1975-78. He left the school as its all-time leader in receiving yards (2,347), and still holds the Spartans record of 21.0 yards per catch; his 24 touchdowns are still third in school history. Gibson was named to the All-Big Ten team three times, and was an All-American in his senior year.
Although the NFL's St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals made him a seventh-round pick in 1978, Gibson's hometown Tigers drafted him 12th overall in the MLB draft after he hit .390 with 16 homers in his senior year - his first and only season playing college baseball. That was enough to sway him away from football, and he quickly signed with the Tigers.
Obviously, choosing baseball over the NFL was the right move. Gibson went on to play 17 seasons in the majors, where he won the 1988 NL MVP and a pair of World Series titles, and produced one of the most iconic moments in baseball history.