Alexander Aaron Gordon (born July 30, 1991) is an American

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player who plays flanker for Shamrock RFC. He was one of the more recognizable players due to his small stature. He stands tall and weighs in at .

Club career

Gordon made his Albany Bulldogs debut in March 2007, taking the field as the number 8 and leading the team to initial victory over their rival Saratoga Mustangs. While the team began to struggle over the course of the Capital District Youth Rugby season, Gordon flourished as the team's defensive stalwart and was named to the 2nd Team All-CDYR Team and was declared team

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

without scoring a single try. Gordon was named captain of the Bulldogs at the beginning of the 2008 season and continued to lead them throughout the 2009 season, sevens season, and post-seasons. He submitted his greatest season during the Bulldog's 2009 season, scoring a league record 16 tries and bringing his career total to a record 22 tries. He was named 1st Team All-CDYR for the second consecutive year while also earning League MVP honors. The Bulldogs experienced similar success, taking a 5-1 record and the 1st

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

into the CDYR Post-Season Tournament, ultimately finishing second to the Berkshire United RFC after a controversial 12-12

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

game went to sudden death kick rules.

College career

Gordon announced his decision at the conclusion of the 2009 CDYR Tournament that he would pursue an education from, and continue his playing career at,

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock University, formally Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (The Rock or SRU), is a public university in the Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania area of the United States. SRU is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Edu ...

. While studying Safety and Environmental Management, he joined the local Shamrock RFC men's team. After an unsuccessful attempt at playing number eight again (due to his size), Gordon changed positions to

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

. A fruitful rookie year was derailed by a torn PCL due to an ill-advised backflip attempt, but Gordon continued playing through the injury, worsening the severity. Gordon continued playing until September 2011, when he enlisted in the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

. After going through BCT in

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

and completing a

deployment Deployment may refer to: * Military deployment, the movement of armed forces and their logistical support * Software deployment, all of the activities that make a software system available for use * System deployment The deployment of a mecha ...

to the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, Gordon returned to the

Shamrock A shamrock is a type of clover, used as a symbol of Ireland. The name ''shamrock'' comes from Irish (), which is the diminutive of the Irish word and simply means "young clover". At most times'', Shamrock'' refers to either the species ...

s. During the Fall 2013 season, Gordon made the positional switch to Flanker. It was a very successful change, as Gordon led the Shamrocks in scoring with 7 tries and being voted team

. The next semester, Gordon was elected

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and enjoyed another successful tournament season. Currently, Gordon is living in

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania Slippery Rock is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania. The population was 3,081 at the 2020 census. Slippery Rock is included in the Greater Pittsburgh Region. The area is home to Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, partially in the ...

full-time, training for the upcoming 2014 rugby season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Alex 1991 births Living people Rugby union flankers Sportspeople from Albany, New York Rugby union players from New York (state)