[3][4] Following his stint at South Georgia, Gibson returned to his alma mater Florida State to work as an assistant coach from 1959 to 1963.

Prior to the 1967 football season, Gibson was hired as head coach at Kansas State University.

"[6] Gibson's first season at Kansas State ended with a 1–9 record, but the next year the team showed significant improvement.

Prior to the 1970 season, Gibson was named the pre-season national coach of the year by Playboy Magazine.

The worst news of the season came on October 7, 1970, when the conference slapped the Wildcats with three years' probation for recruiting violations.

Gibson later said that the sanctions—the result of what he called an immature quarrel with Kansas coach Pepper Rodgers—destroyed his program.

Following his term at Kansas State, Gibson served as head football coach at the University of Louisville from 1975 to 1979.

While at Louisville, Gibson coined the nickname "Red Rage" for the football team, a related carry over from the "Purple Pride" at K-State.

NFL notables from Louisville during Gibson's tenure include Otis Wilson of the Chicago Bears and Dwayne Woodruff of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Joe Jacoby of the Washington Redskins and Mark Clayton of the Miami Dolphins.

Gibson defeated LSU in two out of his three seasons at Tulane and also coached the Green Wave to an appearance in the 1980 Hall of Fame Classic.