La Crosse, Wis. - At the conclusion of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse gymnastics dual victory over UW-Eau Claire Jan. 29 in Mitchell Hall, a surprise ceremony took place for Eagles' head coach
Barbara Gibson. To celebrate her dedication to the sport of gymnastics and UW-La Crosse, the Barbara Gibson Endowment Fund for UW-L Gymnastics was established in her honor.
The endowment provides the best avenue for UW-La Crosse to continue to be a leader in a sport that has served UW-L well, and has continually ranked among the nation's best.
Gibson is in her 25th season as gymnastics coach at UW-La Crosse, leading the Eagles to 13 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championships (1986, 1988, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009) and 17 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) titles (1988, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009).
The 1975 Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) champion on the balance beam for UW-La Crosse, Gibson was also the conference champion in the floor exercise in 1978.
She has been named the WIAC Coach of the Year six times (1988, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2005) and selected the NCGA Coach of the Year on four different occasions (1989, 2001, 2005, 2008).
Gibson also been recognized with the YMCA's Outstanding Achievement Award in Sports in 1989. Among her team's accomplishments, Gibson has had 13 WIAC Scholar-Athletes, five CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 44 NCGA Academic All-America selections and 155 athletic All-America honors. UW-L has also had 54 WIAC champions under Gibson.
An active member in the governance of gymnastics at the conference and national levels, she has served as the WIAC Chair, NCGA Vice-President of the West Region and an NCAA Division III representative. Gibson received a bachelor's degree in physical and health education from UW-L in 1978, and earned a master's degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1981.
She was inducted into the UW-L Wall of Fame in 2007 and will be inducted into to the La Crosse Area Sports Hall of Fame at The Greater La Crosse Sports Connection Banquet Feb. 21, 2010
.
To make a contribution to the Barbara Gibson Endowment Fund, click
here.