Former Gators record holder in women's discus passes away
Tuesday, January 13, 2015 | Women's Tennis, Track and Field, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jacqueline Mary Gordon enrolled at UF in the summer of 1975, two years after the birth of the Gators women's track and field team in the wake of Title IX.
Gordon grew up in Annandale, Va., and chose Florida over Penn State, Virginia and UCLA according to a sports publicity questionnaire she filled out while at UF.
The two-sided sheet of paper and three photos are all the items in a manila folder for “Jackie Gordon” filed away in the UF sports information office's morgue.
A political science major, Gordon threw the shot put and discus for the Gators and made her mark in the sport, earning outdoor All-American honors twice (1976, '78) in the discus.
A four-time state discus champion in high school, she set a then-UF record at the 1978 Penn Relays with a throw of 157 feet, 6 inches.
Gordon's record has long since faded from the top 10 in school history as athletes and training methods have improved drastically since her college career. The current school record in the discus belongs to Rachel Longfors (188 feet, 7 inches), set in 2004.
After leaving UF Gordon attended law school at the University of Virginia and began a successful law career and real estate business. She turned 58 on Dec. 10.
One of the questions on that questionnaire she filled out all those years ago was a simple one: Why did you choose Florida?
“Had what I wanted and needed academically, athletically and socially. Also, Brooks Johnson was coming here.”
Johnson has been a prominent track and field coach since the 1960s and spent time at Florida during Gordon's career.
Sadly, a recent email arrived with news of Gordon's passing:
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Jacqueline (Jackie) Mary Gordon passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015. She was born on Dec. 10, 1956 in Washington, D.C., the daughter of John “Flash” and Barbara Gordon.
At W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, Va., Jackie was a five-sport athlete, was selected Woodson's Athlete of the Year her senior year, and won state AAA championships in discus and shot put. She held a state record in discus that was not broken for over 30 years.
While at the University of Florida for undergraduate school, she was a member of the track & field team, selected Lady Gator Athlete of the Year and was an All American in discus. She graduated in 1979 Phi Beta Kappa and went on to law school at the University of Virginia.
After graduation in 1982, she practiced in Dallas for four years, until moving back to Virginia to join McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe for several years. She continued practicing real estate law and was a member of the Virginia and D.C. bar associations.
She was elected to the Virginia High School Hall of Fame, the W.T. Woodson High School Athletic Hall of Fame, and selected for the Advisory Board of the Virginia High School League.
Jackie enjoyed supporting her alma maters, their athletic programs, mentoring student-athletes and was an avid sports fan. She is survived by two brothers, David and Garry Gordon, two nephews, three nieces and her beloved dog, Discus.
A private family service was held and memorial donations may be made to the Virginia High School League http://www.vhsl.org/doc/upload/foundation-2013-case.pdf.
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