Hawks Hall of Fame
Billy Gordon was inducted into the UMES Hall of Fame in 2004 alongside the rest of his teammates on the historic 1973-1974 Hawk Men's Basketball team.
Billy G" provided one of the best single-season performances in the history of UMES athletics in 1974. His performance was nothing short of legendary, as Gordon was the driving force that pushed the program to a MEAC title and its first National Invitational Tournament berth.
Under Coach John Bates, the Hawks capped off one of the most dominant seasons in UMES Men's Basketball history with a 27-2 (11-1 MEAC) record, winning both a MEAC Regular Season Championship and a MEAC Tournament Title. The Maroon and Gray won 20 games in a row to begin the regular season and finished first in the NCAA in scoring with 97.6 points per contest.
The Hawks earned a spot in the 1974 NIT Tournament. UMES went on to defeat Manhattan in the first round 84-81 at Madison Square Garden before falling to Jacksonville in the second round of the NIT. Â
Gordon had a phenomenal high school career with Richard Montgomery High School. The Lincoln Park, Maryland native led his team to a state title in 1966. Gordon's high school success translated well to the college level at UMES. Gordon was one of the top scorers for the Hawks between 1972 and 1974. The 6'3 hooper played in 91 games and scored over 1,200 career points (14 ppg). Gordon also shot with efficiency as he finished with a 76.5% free throw percentage and a .520 true shooting percentage (8th in the MEAC) during the 1973-1974 campaign.
He was named to the Baltimore Sun All-State team, honored as the Outstanding Player of the 1974 College All-Star game and received the NAIA Certificate of Merit. He collected numerous awards throughout his career, including being named "Player of the Game" in the Hawks' NIT contest against Jacksonville University and served as a member of the first Historically Black College to make the NIT.
After a strong run with UMES, Gordon was drafted with the eighth pick of the fourth round by the Seattle Supersonics in 1974. As a professional, he played two seasons and won the Continental Basketball Association title in 1975.
