Dick Gordon (American football)

{{Short description|American football player (born 1944)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Dick Gordon

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| number = 45, 5, 7, 88

| position = Wide receiver

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1944|1|1}}

| birth_place = Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 11

| weight_lbs = 190

| high_school = Walnut Hills
(Cincinnati, Ohio)

| college = Michigan State

| draftyear = 1965

| draftround = 7

| draftpick = 88

| pastteams =

• Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1965}}–{{NFL Year|1971}})
• Los Angeles Rams ({{NFL Year|1972}})
• Green Bay Packers ({{NFL Year|1973}})
• Los Angeles Rams ({{NFL Year|1973}})
• San Diego Chargers ({{NFL Year|1974}})

| highlights =

• First-team All-Pro (1970)
• 2× Pro Bowl (1970–1971)
• NFL receiving touchdowns leader (1970)
• NFL receptions leader (1970)
• 100 greatest Bears of All-Time
• First-team All-Big Ten (1964)

| statlabel1 = Receiving yards

| statvalue1 = 3,594

| statlabel2 = Receptions

| statvalue2 = 243

| statlabel3 = Yards per reception

| statvalue3 = 14.8

| statlabel4 = Receiving touchdowns

| statvalue4 = 36

| pfr = GordDi00

}}

Richard Frederick Gordon (born January 1, 1944) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and San Diego Chargers. After playing his option year with the Bears in 1971, Gordon became a free agent on May 1, 1972. The lateness of his signing with the Rams on October 12 after the start of the 1972 campaign was due to the uncertainty of compensation that the Bears were to receive. The Rams sent a 1974 first-round selection (20th overall–Dave Gallagher) to the Bears as compensation to complete the last of only four times the NFL exercised the Rozelle rule.[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/407/1000/2281018/ Mackey v. National Football League, 407 F. Supp. 1000 (D. Minn. 1975) – Justia.com.] Retrieved December 12, 2023.[https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/13/archives/personalities-jackson-loses-his-zip.html Goldaper, Sam. "Personalities: Jackson Loses His Zip," The New York Times, Friday, October 13, 1972.] Retrieved December 12, 2023.[https://www.prosportstransactions.com/football/DraftTrades/Years/1974.htm 1974 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, January 29 (Rounds 1–5) & 30 (Rounds 6–17) – Pro Sports Transactions.] Retrieved December 12, 2023. He was one of the fifteen plaintiffs in Mackey v. National Football League in which Judge Earl R. Larson declared that the Rozelle rule was a violation of antitrust laws on December 30, 1975.[https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/31/archives/rozelle-rule-found-in-antitrust-violation-rozelle-rule-judged-in.html Wallace, William N. "Rozelle Rule Found In Antitrust Violation," The New York Times, Wednesday, December 31, 1975.] Retrieved December 12, 2023. In 2019, he was selected as one of the 100 greatest Bears of All-Time.