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Nebraska Baseball Great Alex Gordon Joins Royals Hall of Fame

The former Husker is now forever enshrined with the Royals.

Kaleb Henry

Former Kansas City Royals player Alex Gordon speaks during his hall of fame induction ceremony prior to a game between the Kansas City Royals and Athletics at Kauffman Stadium.
Former Kansas City Royals player Alex Gordon speaks during his hall of fame induction ceremony prior to a game between the Kansas City Royals and Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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20 years after being drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, Alex Gordon is the 20th player in Kansas City franchise history to be inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame.

Gordon was inducted Friday at Kauffman Stadium, just ahead of the game between the Royals and Athletics. The A's would win the game, but the moment was all Gordon's.

A general view of the Hall of fame lettering during former Kansas City Royals player Alex Gordon.
A general view of the Hall of fame lettering during former Kansas City Royals player Alex Gordon during his hall of fame induction ceremony prior to a game between the Kansas City Royals and Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

"Never could I have imagined that I would be drafted by the team that I grew up cheering for," Gordon said during the ceremony, donning a powder blue hall of fame jacket. "Never could I have imagined winning a World Series with that same team. Never could I have imagined getting to play my entire career with he Kansas City Royals."

During his Royals career from 2007-2020, Gordon won eight Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves for his work in the field. At the plate, he had a slash line of .257/.338/.410.

But it was his play in the 2015 World Series that cemented his legacy with the franchise. In the ninth inning of Game 1, Gordon hit a home run off of New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia to tie the game. The Royals would go on to win the contest in 14 innings, and eventually take the Fall Classic in five games.

Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon (4) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the New York Mets.
Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon (4) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the New York Mets in the 9th inning in game one of the 2015 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Gordon ranks in the top 10 in Royals history in several categories, including games played (sixth, 1,753), home runs (fifth, 190), RBIs (seventh, 749), hits (sixth, 1,643), walks (third, 684), doubles (fifth, 357) and total bases (sixth, 2,622).

"Thank you, Kansas City. Thank you to all the fans. Thank you for everyone being here. It is an honor to be called a Kansas City Royal Hall of Famer," Gordon said.

Prior to joining the Royals, Gordon enjoyed one of the greatest careers in Nebraska history.

The 2005 national player of the year led the Huskers to a sweep of the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles, eventually taking the Big Red back to the College World Series. Gordon posted a .355 career batting average, with 44 home runs and 189 runs batted in (RBIs) and finished in the top 10 in eight different offensive statistical categories at Nebraska.

Gordon is one of three Huskers to have their jerseys retired, along with Darin Erstad and Shane Komine.

Former Huskers Darin Erstand, Shane Komine, and Alex Gordon.
Former Huskers Darin Erstand, Shane Komine, and Alex Gordon become the first Nebraska baseball players to have their jersey retired on March 24, 2023. / Nebraska Athletics

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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