Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 26, 1993 TAG: 9305260071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Gibbs lengthened the coach-turned-broadcaster list Tuesday, agreeing to a one-year contract with NBC Sports as an NFL telecast analyst. The former Washington Redskins' coach will work a minimum of 11 regular-season games in the 1993 season.
Gibbs and NBC worked out a deal that will allow him to see his youngest son, Coy, play eight games for Stanford University this fall. He will work primarily West Coast games, then move into the studio to trade opinions with another recent NBC hire - Mike Ditka - during the playoffs and at Super Bowl XXVIII at Atlanta's Georgia Dome.
Gibbs has become a regular on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit, following his Joe Gibbs Racing team. He knows he will miss some races beginning in September, but that won't lessen his commitment to the sport.
"I thought probably I needed to do something to make a living, too," Gibbs said, laughing.
Gibbs, 52, will earn $100,000 from NBC. His Redskins' salary last season was $1.3 million. Only Miami's Don Shula was paid more among NFL coaches. Gibbs chose NBC over a CBS game-analyst offer and said the chance to work both in the booth and the studio and work at the Super Bowl pushed his decision.
"I don't know what this will be like for me," said Gibbs, who guided the Redskins to four Super Bowls in 12 seasons. "It's one of those things, sitting here, that you don't know how you'll do. I do think this is one of those situations that I'll either like it and people will like me, or I won't enjoy it and people won't like me."
Gibbs said he has spoken with several men who have worked both as coaches and analysts, most prominently with his son's coach and a former NBC employee, Bill Walsh. Gibbs will fill an NBC slot vacated by a former NFC East coaching rival, Bill Parcells, who has returned to coaching with New England.
Gibbs will not call any Redskins' games, "and I think that right now, that's a pretty good idea." He said he has not suffered coaching withdrawal pains, "and I think it will be a couple of years before I know whether I want to go back. That's such a hard question to answer."
He said that when he resigned from the Redskins, he thought about seeking a broadcasting job, but felt the desire to see his son play college football would prevent his hiring. Then several networks showed interest and included willingness to work around his family travels.
"When I was coaching, it probably flashed through my mind that I could do this, usually when I was watching a game and heard someone say something that caught my interest for whatever reason. Honestly, I never thought much about it until the last few months."
NBC did not put Gibbs through an audition. In auditions with other networks, Gibbs said he found he enjoyed the game analyst role preferable to the studio work. NBC Sports Executive Producer Terry O'Neil said Gibbs' personality strengths - he is regarded as a witty storyteller by his peers - were assets that wouldn't necessarily come across in a videotape audition.
Gibbs, the coach, certainly hasn't been among the outspoken NFL sideline walkers. He said viewers shouldn't expect the second coming of John Madden.
"The best thing I can do is be myself," Gibbs said. "I'm very excited about this, but I still don't know what it will be like. That's why we only did the one year."
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB