David Gibbs - Football Coach - Texas Tech Red Raiders

David Gibbs

Title:
Defensive Coordinator

Things have changed. That much is true under fourth-year Texas Tech defensive coordinator David Gibbs, who has built the #806D into one of the top turnover-creating units in the country.

The 2018 season will mark Gibbs 25th at either the NCAA FBS level or the NFL and his 11th as a defensive coordinator. Gibbs, whose units regularly rank among the nation’s leaders in forced turnovers and total defense, has been a member of a coaching staff that has played in 11 bowl games during his career.

The Red Raiders are coming off their best season under Gibbs in 2017 as Tech led the Big 12 Conference and ranked sixth nationally with 29 forced turnovers on the year. It marked the most takeaways by a Tech defense since the 2008 campaign.

Tech’s jump in takeaways helped the Red Raiders end the year at plus-11 in the turnover margin, its highest clip since setting the school record in 1997 at plus-12. Tech ended the season as the Big 12 leader for turnover margin and ranked 13th among teams nationally in the category.

Gibbs’ unit was also able to take those takeaways and turn them into points as the Red Raiders four defensive touchdowns in 2017, their most in a season since the 2001 campaign. Tech ranked second in the conference for defensive touchdowns and was eighth nationally after DaMarcus Field and Willie Sykes scampered to the end zone with interceptions, while Justus Parker and Douglas Coleman III returned fumble recoveries.

The majority of Tech’s turnovers came via fumbles as the Red Raiders fell on 15 on the season, which led the Big 12 and finished fourth nationally. Tech was just one fumble recovery shy of matching the single-season school record of 16 that was set during both the 1989 and 1993 campaigns.

In his first season at the helm of the Red Raider defense, Gibbs preached the importance of forcing turnovers and the effects showed as Tech went from a minus-13 turnover margin in 2014 to plus-2 in 2015. The Red Raiders picked off 15 passes and recovered 10 fumbles in 2015, just a year after forcing just 15 turnovers altogether.

Turnovers have been a staple of Gibbs’ units since he returned to the collegiate ranks as Houston’s defensive coordinator in 2013. In fact, his units have forced 140 turnovers over the past five seasons, which is tied for the most among defensive coordinators during that span.

Gibbs quickly changed the defensive culture at Houston shortly after his arrival prior to the 2013 season. The Cougars ranked as the third-most improved scoring defense nationally and ranked 20th in the country after allowing 21.8 points per game, a significant improvement from the 36 points per game Houston surrendered in 2012.

The 2013 Houston defense led the nation with 43 turnovers forced to help lead the Cougars to a nation’s best plus-25 turnover margin. Trevon Stewart led the nation and set a UH record with six fumble recoveries while Adrian McDonald led The American Athletic Conference with six interceptions.

The dramatic defensive overhaul under Gibbs continued in 2014 as Houston finished the regular season ranked 11th nationally in scoring defense at 19.5 points per game and 19th nationally in total defense at 334.6 yards per game. The Houston defense was fifth nationally with 30 takeaways, including 19 interceptions, a number that ranked sixth nationally. Two players (Joey Mbu and Adrian McDonald) received first team honors from The American while two others (William Jackson and Efrem Oliphant) received second team honors from the league.

Prior to Houston, Gibbs’ last collegiate coaching stop was in 2005 when he served as defensive coordinator at Auburn. The Tiger defense ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 15.5 points per game that season, while ranking 11th in sacks (39) and 16th in third-down defense.

On the professional level, Gibbs spent a combined nine seasons in Denver, Kansas City and Houston as a defensive backs coach. Teams sporting Gibbs on staff finished in the top 12 of total defense five times and advanced to the NFL Playoffs on three occasions. Three players under Gibbs earned NFL Pro Bowl selections in Champ Bailey, John Lynch and Deltha O’Neal.

Gibbs received his NFL start in 2001 with Denver where in his first year, the Broncos defense ranked No. 6 in the league for interceptions and No. 9 in total defense. In 2002, the defense improved to No. 6 in total defense and No. 3 in passing touchdowns allowed. The following two years saw Denver advance to the playoffs as the Broncos ranked fourth in the NFL in total defense both seasons. Both years also saw the squad finish sixth in passing defense and in the top 10 of scoring defense.

Following his one season at Auburn, Gibbs returned to the NFL in 2006 as a defensive backs coach with the Kansas City Chiefs. Gibbs spent three seasons with the Chiefs, assisting with a Kansas City defense that improved from 25th in total defense the year prior to his arrival to 12th overall. In 2007, the Chiefs improved to No. 5 in the league in passing defense while ranking fourth in passing touchdowns allowed.

The Chiefs allowed just one 300-yard passer in each of his first two seasons in Kansas City. After helping the 2008 Kansas City defense to finish ninth in turnovers forced, Gibbs moved to Houston where the Texans’ pass defense improved seven spots to 10th in the league in passing defense in his first year.

Prior to joining the professional ranks, Gibbs became the youngest coordinator on the FBS level at the time as the then 29-year old took over as a defensive coordinator at Minnesota in 1997. Gibbs improved a Minnesota defense that had ranked last in the Big Ten in 1996 to one that was ranked eighth in the nation in pass efficiency defense and scoring defense by 1999.

His defense helped lead the Golden Gophers to back-to-back bowl games in 1999 and 2000. Players from Gibbs’ span at the school (1997-2000) currently own 17 individual defensive records at Minnesota while his 1997 group holds the team record with 41 sacks in a season.

Under Gibbs’ tutelage, Tyrone Carter won the 1999 Jim Thorpe Award and back-to-back All-America honors in 1998 and 1999. Defensive end Lamanzer Williams earned All-American honors in 1997 as Gibbs’ defense produced an All-American in three-straight seasons for the first time at Minnesota since 1961-63.

In addition, defensive end Karon Riley was named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2000. Under Gibbs, six Minnesota defensive players earned first team All-Big Ten honors while six more earned second team honors.

Gibbs earned his first full-time coaching position in 1995 at the University of Kansas where he coached the program’s defensive backs. The Jayhawks advanced to just their eighth bowl game in program history in Gibbs’ first year where they defeated UCLA in the Hawaii Bowl. Defensive back Dorian Brew earned All-Big Eight honors in Gibbs’ first season while Tony Blevins and Jason Harris each earned All-Big 12 honors under Gibbs.

Gibbs earned his first coaching opportunity with back-to-back two-year stints as a graduate assistant at both Colorado and Oklahoma. Oklahoma won the 1991 Gator Bowl while Colorado collected wins in the 1993 Aloha Bowl and 1994 Fiesta Bowl with Gibbs on staff.

The Auburn, Alabama native was a four-year letterman at the University of Colorado from 1987-90. He started at defensive back for the 1990 national-title winning Colorado team and the 11-1 1989 team that finished fourth nationally in the final polls. Gibbs graduated from Colorado in 1990, earning Academic All-Big Eight honors as a senior.

Gibbs and his wife, Debbie, are the parents of two children – a son, Hudson, and a daughter, Charlie Grace.

DAVID GIBBS COACHING HISTORY
2015-Present: Texas Tech Defensive Coordinator
2014: Houston Interim Head Coach (Armed Forces Bowl)
2013-14: Houston Defensive Coordinator
2012: Virginia Destroyers (UFL) Assistant Coach (defensive backs)
2009-10: Houston Texans Assistant Coach (defensive backs)
2006-08: Kansas City Chiefs Assistant Coach (defensive backs)
2005: Auburn Defensive Coordinator
2001-04: Denver Broncos Assistant Coach (defensive backs)
1997-2000: Minnesota Defensive Coordinator
1995-96: Kansas Assistant Coach (defensive backs)
1993-94: Colorado Graduate Assistant
1991-92: Oklahoma Graduate Assistant