Richard Gibson (13 July 1866 – 28 October 1943) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hotham/North Melbourne and South Melbourne, and later an umpire in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

The son of George Thomas Gibson (1828–1879),^[1][2][3] and Margaret Gibson (1837–1882), née Slaven,^[4] Richard Gibson was born at Williamstown, Victoria on 13 July 1866.

He married Abigail Mary Snow (1868–1936) on 23 July 1890.^[5][6]

After playing for North Melbourne and South Melbourne in the VFA, Dick "Hockey" Gibson was a member of the inaugural South Melbourne VFL team in 1897 and vice-captained the club in his two VFL seasons.

In 1902, Gibson umpired the Metropolitan Junior Football Association (MJFA) grand final between Collegians and Brighton.^[7][8]

He became the first VFL player to umpire a Grand Final in 1903 when he was the field umpire for the 1903 VFL Grand Final. In all he officiated in 98 VFL matches as a field umpire and also appeared as a boundary umpire three times.

He died at his home in Ascot Vale, Victoria on 28 October 1943.^[9][10]

• 1908 Melbourne Carnival

• Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.

• Dick Gibson's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Dick Gibson's umpiring statistics from AFL Tables
• Dick Gibson at AustralianFootball.com