W.C. Gorden

Bio

As the winningest coach in Jackson State history, W.C. Gorden established himself as one of the most successful mentors in Football Championship Subdivision annals during his 15-year head coaching career. During the Gorden era, the Tigers won eight Southwest Athletic Conference titles, made nine trips to the NCAA playoffs; and won a SWAC-record 28 consecutive conference games from 1985-89. JSU also led the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) in game attendance seven times under Gorden's watch. In 1985, he coached the SWAC all-stars to a 16-14 victory over the Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) team in the third annual Freedom Bowl. Named conference Coach of the Year six times, Gorden was a 1994 inductee into the SWAC Hall of Fame. The Nashville, Tennessee native was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, and was the 1997 recipient of the Capital City Classic Humanitarian Award. After retiring from coaching at JSU, he served as the university's athletics director for two years and has since become actively involved in community service and governmental affairs.