User:MacRusgail/Thomas Gisborne Gordon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Gisborne Gordon
SchoolRugby School
Occupation(s)Wine merchant
Rugby union career
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
NIFC ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1877-1878 Ireland 3

Thomas Gisborne Gordon (15th December, 1851 - 8th July, 1935[1][2]) was an Ireland international rugby player. He gained three caps for Ireland,[1][3][2] and has the distinction of being the only one armed/handed man ever to play in international rugby football.[3] Two of his caps were against England: he debuted in February, 1877 at The Oval, and his last game just over a year later, in March, 1878, at Landsdowne Road in Dublin.[1][2] The middle cap was against Scotland in 1877.[2]

There seems to be some dispute as to his position, with some sources listing him as a half-back, and others as a three-quarter.[1][3]

Biography[edit]

Gordon was educated at Rugby College and was capped for Ireland three times in international rugby. He lost his right hand in a shooting accident.[4][2] He was from Ulster. He married Louise ? in 1890.[5] He died in 1935, at the age of 83.[1] He was a wine merchant by occupation.[2]

Isabel Giberne Sieveking's A turning point in the Indian mutiny is dedicated to Gordon.[6]

Other disabled rugby players[edit]

While Thomas Gisborne Gordon is the only amputee to have appeared in international rugby, some others have appeared in club matches over the years. One particularly outstanding and successful example was a Mr Wakeham, who played for Newton Abbot RFC in Devon, England.[7] In a Devon derby against Plymouth RFC on 30th January, 1886, Wakeham kicked thirteen conversions from thirteen attempts, creating what was claimed as record for English club rugby at the time.[7]

There have also been a number of players who have had only one eye, e.g. Jock Wemyss of Scotland

See also[edit]

  • Quad rugby, a sport influenced by rugby played in wheelchairs.

References[edit]

  • Cotton, Fran (Ed.) (1984) The Book of Rugby Disasters & Bizarre Records. Compiled by Chris Rhys. London. Century Publishing. ISBN 0-7126-0911-3
  • Goodwin, Terry The Complete Who's Who of International Rugby (Blandford Press, England, 1987, ISBN 07137 1838 7 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: checksum)
  • Griffiths, John Rugby's Strangest Matches: Extraordinary but true stories from over a century of rugby (Past Times/Robson Books, England; ISBN 1-86105-334-1 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: checksum)
  1. ^ a b c d e Scrum.com profile, retrieved, 19th January, 2010
  2. ^ a b c d e f Goodwin, p167
  3. ^ a b c Cotton, p37
  4. ^ Dictionary of Ulster Biography
  5. ^ [1], retrieved, 19th January, 2010
  6. ^ [2], retrieved, 19th January, 2010
  7. ^ a b Griffiths, p15

External links[edit]


Category:1851 births Category:1935 deaths Category:Ireland international rugby union players Category:Irish rugby union players Category:Rugby union fullbacks Category:People educated at Rugby School Category:Disabled sportspeople

MAYNE, ROBERT BLAIR 1915-1955

Blair Mayne was born in Newtownards, County Down. He played rugby for Queen's University, Belfast and Malone. He won six caps for Ireland between 1937 and 1939 and toured with the British and Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa in 1938. He was also an Irish Universities Boxing Champion. He served in North Africa in the Second World War, was given three bars on his Distinguished Service Order and was awarded the Legion d'Honneur. He was killed in a car accident. http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/dictionary/biogsM.htm#mayneRB

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:MacRusgail/Thomas_Gisborne_Gordon&oldid=791850741"