Walter Lee Gibbons

Walter Lee Gibbons (October 13, 1928 – July 24, 2015) was an American pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and the Minor Leagues. Listed at 5' 7" ft , 185 lb , Gibbons batted left handed and threw right handed. He was born in Tampa, Florida.

Biography Gibbons, who earned the nicknames 'Dirk' and 'Bubblegum', was raised in the Historic Ybor City District, where he started playing baseball at age eight while pitching for the Pepsi Cola Juniors team. From there, he played with the Pepsi-Cola Giants and the Tampa Rockets of the Florida State Negro League during his teenage years.

Upon graduation from George S. Middleton High School in Tampa, In 1950, he had a 8–4 in a short-season effort, completing 11 of his 12 starts, while finishing second in the league both in wins and complete games. After pitching in an exhibition game against the Jackie Robinson All-Stars late in the year,

After his baseball days, Gibbons went back to Florida and managed a night club for 20 years. He later worked for a long time at the training center of the University of Tampa as a supervisor for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL franchise. In his spare time, he enjoyed the Tampa Bay Rays games at Tropicana Field, Thereafter, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2008 Special Draft of the surviving Negro league players, which was held by Major League Baseball as a tribute for the surviving Negro leaguers who were kept out of the Big Leagues because of their race. During the ceremony, MLB clubs each selected a former NLB player. He then was honored in 2015 by the City of Tampa as part of its Annual Black History Month Celebration.

Gibbons died in 2015 in his homeland of Tampa Bay, Florida, at the age of 86.