An Introduction to My Father

 The majority of children are very proud of their parents, some justified for even relative small accomplishments, and others for major achievements, recognition, and awards. As a deviation from the normal scope of military subject matter of this blog, I would like to take the brief opportunity to introduce the readers of this blog to my father, even though Father’s Day is a few months away.

My father, James (“Jim”) Allen Gordon was an extremely modest man. He was also the fifth fastest man in the world in the 400 meters dash in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, California. He was Miami University’s (Ohio) first Olympian. IOC

The US track coach for the Olympics in 1932 was Lawson Robertson (track coach at University of Pennsylvania). For the final heat he had dad run the race as a flat-out dash (“rabbit”). Dad had never run the race that way, He didn’t like to talk about it, but strongly inferred that the race might have finished differently had he run it his way.

 

 Dad was also the friend and favorite receiver of Paul Brown (quarterback), original owner and coach of the Cleveland Browns, when they played football together at Miami University (Ohio) in the late 1920’s to early 1930’s (Great Depression years). He always made Paul look good. Paul would just throw the ball down-field in dad’s direction, and dad would just outrun any defenders and catch it. In one game Dad caught two of Paul’s passes for touchdowns for a win against then arch-rival Whittenburg University.

 

He led Miami to three consecutive Buckeye Conference track championships from 1929-31. He was the top point producer on the team, participating in the 100-, 220- and 440-yard dashes, mile relay and low hurdles. He was undefeated and Buckeye Conference champion for three years in his specialty, the 440. His best time in the 440 came in the final American trials for the Olympics when he was clocked in :47.8 sec.

 

He was an accomplished musician on the trumpet, and also played the piano. We always used to really enjoy his rendition of  “The Carnival of Venice”. He partially paid for his college education as lead trumpet with the Miami Campus Owls on summer cruises to Europe and back, between college years.

 

During some of the hardest years of the Great Depression, he found work as a teacher and coach at West Technical High School in Cleveland, Ohio. The principal of the high school was a “gentleman” by the name of C.C. Tuck. He was the closest thing to a state penitentiary warden that you could envision. He had to be, it was the depression, and teen agers in the area were extremely tough. He was a local folk hero, holding the position for 34 ½ years. As a strict disciplinarian Mr. Tuck instituted a before school track exercise for minor infractions. Who better than an American Olympian, as an example to assist him in his program.

 

During World War II , as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, he served as a coach and instructor with the Navy V-5 Pre-flight Program (“Seahawks”) for naval aviation cadets at the University of Iowa. There he met Moon Mullins (the program director and one of Knut Rockne’s 7 Mules of Notre Dame), Bud Wilkinson (Univ. of Oklahoma), and Don Faurot (Univ. of Missouri). He was the first in four generations of the family who have served as officers in the United States Navy, including myself, my two sons, and both my grandsons (also Eagle Scouts) Pretty good gene pool.

 

But I think his most unrecognized talent and accomplishment was as a college physical education professor (later chairman of the department) and track and assistant football coach at Miami University. He wasn’t just a personal friend, teacher and coach, but taught some of the most famous professional and college football coaches at the famous “Cradle of Coaches” at Miami in the 1950’s through the 1970’s. Effectively, he was a personal friend, and/or taught and coached a significant number of these coaches. He personally was inducted into Miami University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1971.

 

Those personages included the following:

Col. Earl H.(Red) Blaik, Dartmouth, US Military Academy West Point

George Little, University of Michigan, University of Cincinnati

Webb Eubanks, Baltimore Colts, New York Jets

Ara Parseghian, Northwestern, Notre Dame

Bo Schembechler, University of Michigan

Carmen Cozza, Yale (30 years)

Woody Hayes Miami (Ohio), Ohio State

Paul Brown, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals

Sid Gilman, Miami (Ohio), Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers

Paul Dietzel, Louisiana State University

Stu Holcomb, Purdue University

Clive Rush, Boston Patriots

Ed Biles, Houston Oilers

John Mackovic, Kansas City Chiefs

Johnny Pont, University of Indiana, Yale

Dick Crum, University of North Carolina

John McVay, University of Dayton, San Francisco '49ers

Jim Root, New Hampshire

Bill Mallory, Miami, University of Colorado

Doc Urich, Northern Illinois

George Blackburn, University of Cincinnati

Bob Whittake, Bowling Green University

Joe Galat, Montreal Concordes

Tom Reed, North Carolina State University

Dick Adams, University of Hawaii-Maui

Tom Dimitroff, Guelph University(Canada)

Nick Mourouzis  DePauw University

Bill Narduzzi, Youngstown State University

Ron Zook, University of Florida

Rick Carter, University of Dayton, Holy Cross

John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams

 

Playing high school football I can distinctly remember our coach Al Tanner (coached all sports), being ably assisted by two “student teachers”, Ara Parseghian, and Carmen Cozza, who in-turn were taught by my father.  Dad never pushed my bother Will or myself in athletics, but he both encouraged and coached  the two of us in all our endeavors. Thank you Dad!