Vance Gibson is the winningest football coach in Howard Payne history, compiling an 89-42-0 record and .679 winning percentage in 13 seasons from 1992-2004. He had 11 winning seasons, one 5-5 season and only one losing season. Gibson was twice named Coach of the Year by the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. His program during the 1990s was among the winningest football programs in Texas. HPU was ranked in the Top 25 nationally in either NAIA Division II or NCAA Division III in five seasons. Gibson, from Sherman, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Austin College. After coaching at Sam Houston State and Iowa Wesleyan College, Gibson took over an HPU football program that had only two winning seasons in the previous 15 years. His teams either won or shared the conference championship in three of his first five seasons at HPU. In 1992, HPU won the TIAA championship outright, in 1994 tied with Hardin-Simmons and Midwestern State for the TIAA title and in 1995 tied with Hardin-Simmons for TIAA crown. Gibson coached numerous All-American football players, with several going on to play pro football. After leaving Howard Payne, he was head coach at Frisco High School in Frisco and offensive line coach at East Texas Baptist University.