Kirk Gibson is a former professional baseball player and manager. Growing up, Gibson was an All-American wide receiver at Michigan State, when eventually one of his football coaches told him he was meant for the game of baseball.

As a player, Gibson was an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed. He spent most of his career with the Detroit Tigers but also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and Pittsburgh Pirates. While with the Dodgers, Gibson was named the NL MVP in 1988. During his career, he hit two dramatic home runs in the World Series, off of two eventual Hall of Fame relief pitchers. With the Tigers, he clinched the 1984 World Series with a three-run homer off Goose Gossage, who had refused to walk him with a base open. In Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, Gibson faced closer Dennis Eckersley and hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run—often described as one of the most exciting moments in World Series history. He was named to the All-Star team twice, in 1985 and 1988. 

Following his retirement as a player, he spent five seasons as a television analyst in Detroit and then became a coach for the Tigers in 2003. Gibson was promoted to interim manager of the Diamondbacks in 2010 following the mid-season dismissal. On October 4, 2010, the Diamondbacks removed the "interim" label, naming Gibson their manager for the 2011 season. Gibson served as the Diamondbacks' manager until September 2014. As of 2021, he is a Detroit Tigers commentator on Fox Sports, and is a Tigers assistant coach.