GREEN & WHITE FOOTBALL

'Who wore it best' at Michigan State: No. 43

Lansing State Journal

MSU linebacker Kaleb Thornhill hits and stops Kent State wide receiver Derrick Bush short of a first down Saturday.

Ever see a number on a Michigan State football jersey and think of all the great players to wear it? Me, too. In this daily series, I’ll give you my take on which Spartan football player was the best ever to wear each number. The criteria are simple: How did he perform at MSU? And what kind of impact did he have on the program?

No. 43 – Eric Gordon

Linebacker, 2007-10, Traverse City

Résumé

2007: 32 solo tackles, 30 assisted, 62 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, sack, interception

2008: 41 solo tackles, 44 assisted, 85 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks

2009: 35 solo tackles, 57 assisted, 92 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks

2010: 36 solo tackles, 56 assisted, 92 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception

Total: 144 solo tackles, 187 assisted, 331 total tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 2 interceptions

Michigan State linebacker Eric Gordon (43) celebrates stopping a drive by Northwestern during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, on Saturday, October 23, 2010. The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Northwestern Wildcats, 35-27.

Why Gordon?

You can consider Eric Gordon the “Ironman” of Michigan State football.

The four-year letterwinner started 49 of 51 games during his career in East Lansing. That’s more starts than anyone before him or since. Need a big stop? Gordon was the man. He is still 10th in program history in the tackles-for-loss category. He is also 21st all-time in quarterback sacks with 9.5, and 12th in tackles with 331.

During his senior season in 2010, Gordon was named first-team All-Big Ten by CollegeFootballNews.com.

Standing 5-foot-11, 232-pounds, Gordon was an “unsung hero” of the Mark Dantonio era, often overshadowed by the guy lined up next to him, two-time first-team All-American Greg Jones.

“Eric is everything you would want a player to be,” Dantonio told the media during Gordon’s pro day in 2011.

Gordon came to East Lansing the same year Dantonio did. They changed the culture of MSU football together.

MORE: Michigan State football: Who Wore It Best?

In Gordon’s tenure, he went 3-1 against Notre Dame, beat Michigan twice and played in four straight bowl games. In 2010, the Spartans finished 11-2 and won a share of the Big Ten title, the program’s first in 20 seasons.

Gordon went undrafted in 2011 but ended up signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent. After a short stint with the Cleveland Browns, Gordon made his way to the Canadian Football League, where he played in Edmonton.

Kaleb Thornhill during practice at MSU in 2004.

Who else wore No. 43?

Jack Amon (FB, 1939-40), Robert Bercich (FB/HB, 1957-59), Tony Briningstool (MLB, 1988-91), Ed Davis (LB, 2012-16), Robert Dozier (FB, 1993-94), Keith Fisher (DB, 1984-85), Eugene Glick (HB/QB, 1946-49), Steven Maidlow (LB, 1979-82), John Matsock (HB/QB, 1953-54), Stephen Montgomery (FB, 1987-89), Bob Organ (FB/TE, 1991-94), Kim Rowekamp (LB, 1973-76), Adam Setterbo (FB, 2010-11), Louis Smith (HB, 1951), Kaleb Thornhill (LB, 2004-07), Frank Timmons (CB, 1971-72), Franklin Waters (HB/FB, 1946-49), Frank Waters III (HB/FL, 1966-68), Thomas Wright (S, 1999-02)

Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @CodyTucker_LSJ.

MORE ON ERIC GORDON:
* Eric Gordon: Always a Spartan
* VIDEO: Eric Gordon Tribute