Fox Sports Detroit made the announcement Tuesday. Gibson had been hired to join FSD’s Tigers broadcast team this season but has not appeared on-air since opening day.
Gibson, 57, released a statement that read:
“I have faced many different obstacles in my life, and have always maintained a strong belief that no matter the circumstances, I could overcome those obstacles. While this diagnosis poses a new kind of challenge for me, I intend to stay true to my beliefs. With the support of my family and friends, I will meet this challenge with the same determination and unwavering intensity that I have displayed in all of my endeavors in life. I look forward to being back at the ballpark as soon as possible.”
Gibson, a Michigan native and former Michigan State football player, rose to fame as a member of his hometown Tigers. His two home runs in Game 5 of the 1984 World Series clinched a wire-to-wire championship for the Tigers, who haven’t won it all since.
But Gibson is better known for another World Series homer, winning Game 1 in 1988 for the Dodgers against Dennis Eckersley and the A’s with a pinch-hit shot before he hobbled around the bases on a badly injured hamstring. He was the National League MVP that year.
Gibson went on to manager the Diamondbacks for 4 1/2 seasons before being fired last September. He compiled a 353-375 record at the helm in Arizona.
