HS Football Coach Drew Gibbs Dies at Age 59 Due to Complications from Surgery

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

A New Jersey high school football coaching legend died Tuesday.

Darren Cooper of NorthJersey.com reported Ramapo head football coach Drew Gibbs died at the age of 59. The school said he died due to “complications from an aortic dissection and complications from surgery.”

Cooper reported Gibbs collapsed at Monday’s football practice and was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called Gibbs “a giant of a coach and a giant of a man,” while a New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association statement read:

“Today, New Jersey scholastic sports lost a true legend. We are deeply saddened by the passing of Ramapo High School’s Head Football Coach Drew Gibbs. He was an educator, a mentor and a role model, and our condolences go out to all who knew, loved and were inspired by Coach Gibbs.”

Gibbs coached Ramapo since 2001 and led the program to seven sectional titles.

Former NFL wide receiver and two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Hogan was among the players who suited up for Gibbs.

“He took young men and taught them how to play a game he loved the right way and gave them lessons we all could carry throughout our lives,” Hogan told NBC New York. “Ramapo football was and is Drew Gibbs and I know his legacy will continue to live on in that program for a very long time.”

Ramapo was scheduled to face Northern Highlands on Friday, but the game was moved to Nov. 26 as a result of the coach’s death.