Devin Gibbs has had his fair share of setbacks. A Waterville native, Gibbs played football all throughout high school. It was an integral part of his life, and something he never imagined he might have to live without. He had had every intention of joining the team at Colby once he arrived as a freshman. This past summer, however, he sustained a shoulder injury that cast the future of his athletic career in doubt. The problem actually began during his junior year of high school, when he dislocated his shoulder. He continued to have problems with the joint after the incident, until doctors finally decided that reconstructive surgery was the best option. This meant, obviously, that Gibbs would not be able to play football in the fall; if he wanted to join the team, he would have to wait at least a year.  “It was tough at first,” Gibbs admitted. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to join football at all once his shoulder had healed.Â
Six months later, however, he has made an impressive athletic comeback. Over the winter he joined the track and field team. He throws the weight, a steel or metal implement used exclusively in collegiate and professional level competition.
Also over the winter, he received the “ok” to start playing football again. He began attending practices over January and has been welcomed onto the team with open arms. “The guys on the team are really supportive and encouraging. We all push each other really hard- in the weight room, during agilities…”And Gibbs finds that this atmosphere extends beyond the field house as well. “In joining the team,” he joked, “I instantly gained at least sixty new friends.” Having grown up with football teammates for friends, he says it feels good to be back in a familiar environment, as well as to be back in the game. “It’ll be tough with three full seasons- [fall football, and then winter and spring track]- but it’ll be fun.”
Devin has also found an outlet through music. He plays the saxophone, and joined the jazz band. He even took an improvisation class for Jan Plan. Gibbs draws similarities between football and music. “Music, like football, is something you have to work at and practice- both individually and as a team.” He is even contemplating music as a possible area of study while at Colby. He is considering a bio major with a music or education minor. Though biology and music are subjects he has always known he was interested in, education is a new discovery. “I’m taking this education course now…it’s about the injustices found in inner city schools. We get to work in the elementary schools, and that’s a lot of fun. It’s almost making me think I want to be a teacher.”