Wisconsin Football Countdown: No. 79, Aaron Gibson
By Jim Oxley
As the countdown to the first Wisconsin football game of the season continues, Badger of Honor is taking a look at Badgers by the numbers, checking in on a different Badger or Badgers players who wore the number corresponding with the remaining days until the Badgers head to Texas to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday, Sept. 5.
Next up in our countdown, signifying 79 days until college football is back, is a former mammoth on the Badgers offensive line, Aaron Gibson.
Wisconsin Badgers
Aaron Gibson spent 1995-1998 at Wisconsin. He was an Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award finalist in 1998, and was a first team All-American and an All Big Ten selection.
He was a key member of the offensive line that helped Ron Dayne rise to fame.
As good as he was on the field, Gibson might be more well known for his weight. He was an enormous player, weighing in at around 390 pounds throughout his collegiate career. He slimed down to 371 as a senior, and impressed scouts with a 5.2 40-meter dash in the NFL combine.
Gibson was taken in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft, the 27th overall selection by the Detroit Lions. He spent a couple years in Detroit, and later played in Dallas, Chicago and Buffalo. He finished out his football career in the Arena Football League.
Who wore No. 79 first?
• Guard Herbert Spaeme was the first Badger to wear No. 79 in 1927.
Who wore No. 79 last?
• Ryan Groy was the last Badgers player to wear No. 79. Groy , an Outland and Rotary finalist himself, was an undrafted free agent after the 2014 NFL Draft, and was signed by the Chicago Bears.
Stay tuned to Badger of Honor as we continue our daily countdown in preparation of the season opener against Alabama.
Next: Wisconsin Football Experience