Football Fever victory
vindicates John R. Gibbs

Star-Bulletin staff

John R. Gibbs of Kaneohe picked up $500 as the first winner in the Star-Bulletin's Football Fever contest.

Gibbs, 54, picked nine of the 10 games correctly. His name was drawn at random from those who equaled or surpassed the performance of the top celebrity panelist. This week, that was Paula Akana of KITV, who was right on eight of her 10 selections.

Gibbs, who said he plays the contests in both of Honolulu's daily newspapers each week, entered just one ballot of the 7,287 that were cast. He said his victory gave him a bit of vindication. "My son (Palani) won two of the Advertiser's t-shirts when he was in high school," Gibbs said.

He said he had no problem picking the Tennessee Oilers to upset the Oakland Raiders. "Somebody, somewhere has gotta be the one," Gibbs said. "I figured Tennessee was the one."

Gibbs, and everyone else who sent in an entry, is eligible for the Grand Prize of $5,000 and the First Prize of a week's trip for two to the Hooters Hula Bowl on Maui.