Ira Gordon

Ira Lawrence Gordon (born May 5, 1947 in Kilbourne, Louisiana) is a former professional American football player who played offensive tackle for six seasons for the San Diego Chargers. He was a starter for the last two. Left unprotected in the 1976 NFL Expansion Draft, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was expected to start for the Bucs, but wound up as a surprise training camp cut. Coach John McKay would not comment on outgoing players, but had earlier expressed concern that, although Gordon had potential to be one of the league's better guards, he would have difficulty learning the team's offensive system due to missing much of training camp with a contract dispute. Gordon believed that Buccaneer coaches soured on his outspokenness over harsh practice conditions, which included two-a-day practices in the Tampa sun with no water breaks, and refused to play football after the experience. The brother of Arizona State University and Miami Dolphins linebacker Larry Gordon, he worked in Phoenix, Arizona as a drug counselor after his NFL career.

1. ^ Mizell, Hubert. "Bucs cut veteran guard Gordon". St. Petersburg Times. 8 Sep 1976
2. ^ Martz Ron. "Gordon: close but unsigned". St. Petersburg Times. 13 Jul 1976
3. ^ Chick, Bob. "'I didn't mean no harm'". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 28 Sep 1976
4. ^ Associated Press. "Drug use suspected in death of Gordon". St. Petersburg Times. 18 Jul 1986