Former star Notre Dame DL Oliver Gibson passes away at 53

The football community is mourning the loss of football great Oliver Gibson. The Romeoville, Illinois native played four years at Notre Dame before being a fourth-round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gibson went on to play nine seasons in the NFL, four with the Steelers and four with the Cincinnati Bengals. Gibson spent his final year in his career between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Buffalo Bills.

Gibson's life was sadly cut very short as the former defensive lineman passed away at the age of 53. Former teammates and coaches are mourning the loss and even taking to social media to pay their respects to their beloved teammate and friend.

The Notre Dame Football social media page posted a tribute to Gibson, who was an active player for four years in South Bend. Gibson was highly recruited and played for Notre Dame great Lou Holtz in the 1990s. Gibson was known for stifling the run game, allowing no holes in the middle of the defensive line.

While being recruited by Holtz, Gibson was named the 1989 USA Today Defensive Player of the Year. Gibson was a strong player on the line and helped lead a very stifling defense to a few great seasons at Notre Dame through his four years.

After being drafted by the Steelers, Gibson played in 60 games for the AFC North team, totaling 5.5 sacks in four seasons. As a backup, it was a surprise to see Gibson go and sign with the rival Bengals, but he became a featured player on their defensive line, playing in 73 games, starting 57 of them, and collecting 201 total tackles and 12 sacks over four seasons.

After deciding to hang up his cleats, Gibson chose to return home to Romeoville, Illinois, where he became a coach at his old high school, Romeoville High School. He coached both football and basketball in his hometown.

Condolences are given to Gibson's family and friends, and the Notre Dame football great will be dearly missed.