John A. Gibson (July 3, 1905 – December 29, 2006) was a runner and Olympic athlete. Gibson was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1905, but lived most of his life in

Bloomfield, New Jersey Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District. History The initial patent for the land that w ...

, where he attended Bloomfield High School. He was the head coach of men's track and field at

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the ...

from 1945 to 1972. Gibson was a 1928 graduate of Fordham University, where he held the world record for the 440 yard hurdles. He was a member of the United States team at the 1928 Summer Olympics in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

where he finished fourth in his semi-final and did not make the final. Along with his athletic and coaching careers, he was also a well known track and field official as a founding member of the New Jersey Track and Field Officials Association and he worked at college meets along the east coast as well as at the

Millrose Games The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet (track and field) held each February in New York City. They started taking place at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011 ...

in Madison Square Garden. He was inducted into several halls of fame, including those of Fordham University, Seton Hall University, Helms Hall, N.J. Sports Authority, Garden State and Bloomfield. Mr. Gibson was married for 67 years to the late Dorothy Croughan. He died at the age of 101.Litsky, Frank
"Johnny Gibson, 101, Track Coach With a Long Legacy, Is Dead"
''

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'', January 1, 2007. Accessed June 5, 2008.

References

1905 births 2006 deaths Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics Fordham Rams men's track and field athletes Sportspeople from Bloomfield, New Jersey Seton Hall Pirates track and field coaches American centenarians American male hurdlers Bloomfield High School (New Jersey) alumni Men centenarians {{US-hurdles-athletics-bio-stub