Charles Gordon (born July 18, 1984) is a former American football cornerback and coach. He was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of Kansas. He also was a defensive backs coach at the University of Northern Colorado and the Defensive quality control coach for the Denver Broncos.

College career

A native of California, he attended Santa Monica High School. Gordon was recruited to play at the University of Kansas as a wide receiver, arriving on campus in 2002. In 2003, as a redshirt freshman, Gordon had 57 pass receptions for 769 yards, both totals set school records for freshmen. These marks were good enough to earn Gordon first-team freshmen All-American honors. Gordon finished the season as one of the team's starting cornerbacks in addition to his starting roles as a wide receiver and

punt returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...

. The following season Gordon was moved to

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

on a full-time basis. He led the nation in interceptions (7) and earning first-team All- Big 12 and third-team All-American honors. Going into his junior season, Gordon was named a pre-season first-team All-American at cornerback by numerous publications, however, Gordon was moved back to being primarily a wide receiver early in the conference season. For his efforts during his junior campaign, Gordon was named first-team All-Big 12 kick returner, as well as second-team cornerback and honorable mention wide receiver. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Gordon announced that he would forgo his senior season to enter the NFL Draft.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Gordon went undrafted in 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 ...

but signed with the Minnesota Vikings shortly after. Initially signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

, Gordon was added to the active roster on November 7, 2006. Gordon suffered a broken leg on a punt return against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

on November 9, 2008. The next day he was placed on season ending

injured reserve 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 ...

Coaching career

Northern Colorado

In 2013 Gordon became the defensive backs coach at the University of Northern Colorado, a position he held through their 2016 season.

Denver Broncos

On February 20, 2017, Gordon was named a defensive quality control assistant for the Denver Broncos. Broncos defensive back Aqib Talib was a teammate of Gordon's at Kansas.

References

External links

Broncos coaching profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Charles 1984 births Living people Players of American football from Los Angeles American football wide receivers American football return specialists American football cornerbacks Kansas Jayhawks football players Minnesota Vikings players