Cletis Gordon (born April 23, 1983) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

for the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

and

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

. He played college football at

Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of stude ...

Early years

Gordon attended

Amite High School Amite High Magnet School is a public high school in Amite City, Louisiana, United States. It is governed by the Tangipahoa Parish School Board. Haynesville Senior High athletics competes in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, LHSAA. ...

. He received All-district honors as a senior. He also practiced basketball. He accepted a football scholarship from

. He was nicknamed Flash, while playing as defensive back, kickoff returner, punt returner and wide receiver. As a sophomore, he set a school record with 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 2003

Circle City Classic The Circle City Classic is an annual American football game featuring two historically black colleges/universities (HBCUs) and played in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event was established in 1984 and has been played every year except 2020, when i ...

against

Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the U ...

. As a junior, he became a starter at

. He was considered as the Southwestern Athletic Conference top kick returner. He finished his college career with 691 receiving yards, 9 receiving touchdowns, 1,508 kickoff return yards with 2 touchdowns, 492 punt return yards with 2 touchdowns, 98 tackles (4.5 for loss) 11 interceptions (3 returned for touchdowns) and 16 passes defensed. In 2011, he was named to the Jackson State University All-Century Team.

Professional career

San Diego Chargers

Gordon was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

after the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...

on May 10. As a rookie, he appeared in 2 games and was declared inactive in 14 contests. He had one tackle. In 2007, he played in 14 games, posting 8

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles, 8 defensive tackles and one pass defensed. He made his postseason debut in the Wild Card Playoff Game against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

and made one special teams tackle. In 2008, he played in 14 games (one start), registering 4 special teams tackles, 8 defensive tackles and one pass defensed. He saw action as a cornerback in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...

, after starter

Quentin Jammer Quentin Tremaine Jammer (born June 19, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Texas, and earned All-American hono ...

suffered an injured ankle and hamstring. He made 5 tackles in the contest. He was released on August 24, 2009

Houston Texans

On August 28, 2009, he was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the Houston Texans. He was cut on September 1.

Detroit Lions

On September 2, 2009, he was claimed off waivers by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

. He was released on September 6.

Dallas Cowboys

On October 6, 2009, the

signed him as a

. He played on

against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

, before being released on October 13. He was re-signed on November 23. He appeared in one game, while being declared inactive in the last 6 games and 2 playoff contests. In 2010, he was limited with a neck injury in preseason and was released on September 4.

Florida Tuskers

Gordon was signed by the

Florida Tuskers Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to t ...

of the United Football League on October 19, 2010. Where he recorded 134 tackles, 17 forced fumbles and a record high 2 carries for 146 yards.

Carolina Panthers

On July 30, 2011, the

signed Gordon to a contract. On August 25, he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

with a shoulder injury. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Personal life

Gordon is the cousin of former NFL fullback Alan Ricard and former NFL

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Lester Ricard Lester Ray Ricard, Jr. (born December 11, 1983) is a former college and professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2007. Ricard was also a member of the Caroli ...

. Gordon is an assistant football coach for

Trinity Classical Academy Trinity Classical Academy is a classical Christian school in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California. It was founded in 2001 and offers education for K-12. It is committed to teaching a Christian worldview in all subject areas, and upholds biblical i ...

in Santa Clarita, California.

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Cletis 1983 births Living people People from Amite City, Louisiana Players of American football from Louisiana American football cornerbacks American football return specialists Jackson State Tigers football players San Diego Chargers players Houston Texans players Detroit Lions players Dallas Cowboys players Florida Tuskers players Carolina Panthers players