WACO, Texas | Former Jackson State head football coach W.C. Gorden has been named the American Football Coaches Association's recipient of the 2025 Trailblazer Award. The award will be presented posthumously to Gorden during the 2026 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The AFCA Trailblazer Award was created to honor leaders in the football coaching profession who coached at historically black colleges and universities. Past Trailblazer Award winners include Charles Williams, Hampton (2004); Cleve Abbott, Tuskegee (2005); Arnett Mumford, Southern (2006); Billy Nicks, Prairie View A&M (2007); Alonzo "Jake" Gaither, Florida A&M (2008); Fred "Pops" Long, Wiley (2009); Harry R. "Big Jeff" Jefferson, Bluefield State (2010); Edward P. Hurt, Morgan State (2011); Vernon "Skip" McCain, Maryland-Eastern Shore (2012); Marino Casem, Alcorn State (2013); Gideon Smith, Hampton (2014); Eddie Robinson, Grambling State (2015); Oree Banks, South Carolina State and West Virginia State (2016); John Merritt, Jackson State and Tennessee State (2017); Earl Banks, Morgan State (2018); Bill Hayes, Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T (2019); Edward Jackson, Delaware State, Johnson C. Smith and Howard (2021); Henry Kean, Kentucky State and Tennessee State (2022); Edward Clemons, Edward Waters, Lane, Morris Brown and Jackson State (2023); and Doug Williams, Morehouse and Grambling State.
William C. "W.C." Gorden began his football journey as a student-athlete at Tennessee State University, where he lettered in both football and baseball from 1949 to 1952. Following his service in the United States Army from 1953 to 1955, he started his coaching career at Eva Gordon High School in Mississippi, serving as athletic director and head coach for football, baseball, basketball, and track from 1956 to 1966. He later moved to Temple High School for the 1966 season, leading the team to an undefeated 11-0 record and the High School Football Negro Big 8 Conference state championship.
Gorden joined Jackson State University in 1971 as head baseball coach and defensive coordinator for the football team. He was elevated to interim head football coach in 1976 and became the full-time head coach in 1977, a position he would hold through 1991. Over 15 seasons at the helm of the Tigers, he compiled an impressive 119-48-5 record, including a 79-21 mark in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play. Throughout Gorden's tenure, the Tigers won eight SWAC titles (1980-82, 1985-88, 1990), made nine trips to the NCAA playoffs, and set a conference record with 28 consecutive SWAC victories from 1985-1989. He had just one losing season in his 15 years as head coach.
Under Gorden's leadership, Jackson State captured the 1985 HBCU National Championship, the second in school history. During his time at Jackson State, 70 players were drafted into the NFL, and five of the program's seven NFL first-round draft picks came during Gorden's affiliation with the team. He was named SWAC Coach of the Year six times.
After retiring from coaching in 1991, Gorden remained at Jackson State as the school's athletic director until 1994, continuing to mentor coaches, student-athletes, and administrators. His influence extended beyond the football field, as he insisted on academic accountability and success. Gorden's players graduated at higher rates than both the conference average and the university's overall student population.
In 1997, the Mississippi Legislature proclaimed Gorden as "the winningest football coach in the history of Jackson State University," commending his record and the academic success of his players. Gorden was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame in 1994, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, and the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. He also received the Capital City Classic Humanitarian Award, the JSU Alumni Achievement Award, and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award.
Gorden passed away on October 23, 2020, in Jackson, Mississippi, at the age of 90. He is survived by his wife, Vivian; sons, Craig and Robin; and grandchildren, Craig Jr., Robyn, Michael, Kamera, and Kayla.
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