Former Notre Dame great and longtime NFL veteran Oliver Gibson has passed away at the age of 53.
The Steelers drafted Gibson in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL Draft, where he accumulated 5.5 sacks and 42 tackles before departing for the rival Bengals in 1999. The former Notre Dame product would spend the remainder of his career in Cincinnati, where his playing time and statistical output both increased significantly, starting in 57 straight games from 1999 to 2002.
In total, he racked up 12 sacks, 10 passes defended, and 201 tackles during his time in Cincinnati.
“After his playing days, Gibson got into coaching at the high school level,” Sports Illustrated reported. “He was named head football coach at his alma mater, Romeoville High School, which is 32 miles from downtown Chicago.”
Some of Gibson’s former pro and college teammates took to social media to react to the loss of the former big man.
R.I.P Oliver Gibson “OG” 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/8eMFcr7ygl
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) June 29, 2025
“Losing our brother Oliver Gibson is. OG exemplified, ‘Teammates are forever!’ He always stayed in touched, made sure guys were alright & consistently scheduled reunions. Our thoughts & prayers are with the Gibson family. OG will never be forgotten, he impacted so many of us.”
Losing our brother Oliver Gibson is 💔. OG exemplified, “Teammates are forever!” He always stayed in touched, made sure guys were alright & consistently scheduled reunions. Our thoughts & prayers are with the Gibson family. OG will never be forgotten, he impacted so many of us.🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/4ECpbxlp9b
— Holtz's Heroes Foundation (@HoltzHeroes) June 29, 2025
No cause of death has been publicly released as of this time.
