TELEVISION sports commentator, journalist and loveable larrikin Mike Gibson will be remembered by generations of Australians for a larger-than-life enthusiasm that wrung every last drop of excitement out of every story he covered. 
The former host of Wide World of Sports and The Back Page was found dead at his NSW Central Coast home yesterday morning. He was 75.
The man affectionately known as "Gibbo" worked in print, in radio, and on TV, including Channel Nine's popular Wide World Of Sports program, which helped make him a household name.
As a storyteller, Mike Gibson had no peer," the Nine Network's head of sport, Steve Crawley, said.
"The people he wrote about, you felt you suddenly knew, and he had this knack of making you feel part of his stories. Gibbo is a legend of Australian sport." Ian Chappell, the Australian Test cricket captain who co-hosted Wide World Of Sports with Gibson in the early 1980s, said of his late mate: "Mike's greatest attribute was his ability to be like the fan on the hill. 'Gibbo' always asked the questions the fans would've asked.
"He had that great ability to empathise with the fans, and the fans saw him as one of them." Gibson worked at Nine before he switched to rival Ten in 1988 where he presented the Seoul Olympics.
In a brief controversy, he was accused of being a boorish ocker over an obsession with the beauty of German ice skater Katerina Witt, but his bloke-at-the-bar style went over well with millions of ordinary Australians.
His golden rule was simple: Talk like you're talking to a truck driver. He also fronted Good Morning Australia, with colleague Kerri-Anne Kennerley saying on radio yesterday that "he was a very quiet and shy guy, who had this wonderful ability to reach out to people, and have a bit of fun".
Gibson went on the host The Back Page on Fox Sports and fronted 720 episodes over 16 years, only missing one "because of a crook back".
Gibson loved his racing. He was a regular at the track.
He was also passionate about rugby league.
"His love of the North Sydney Bears was legendary," NRL's head of football Todd Greenberg said.
Nine's sports presenter Ken Sutcliffe said: "We are all saddened by his passing. He was a pioneer in TV sport and he did it with his inimitable and special style." Paul Whittaker, the editor of Sydney's Daily Telegraph, where Gibson began his career covering greyhound racing, also paid tribute to Gibson."Mike was an institution. His work at this newspaper spanned six decades, from his early days as a greyhound -reporter in the 1960s, to the must-read colour and opinion writer he became famous for. He will be sadly missed."