Charles Gordon did it all for Kansas University as a red-shirt freshman, making an impact as a standout receiver, cornerback and punt returner.

The Carson, Calif., product hopes to add one more specialty to his resume as a sophomore — baseball.

Think KU football coach Mark Mangino wouldn’t consider letting his best all-around athlete play two sports? Think again.

“I think we can make it work,” Mangino said. “Charles and I have a deal. He has to weigh in at a certain weight and show he has a great understanding of all his responsibilities on defense and special teams.”

Gordon (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) set KU freshman records last season with 57 receptions for 769 yards. He also averaged 13.1 yards per punt return. Despite his offensive prowess, Gordon split time at receiver and cornerback late in the season and could start the 2004 season on defense.

But what about baseball? Gordon, who was a standout at Santa Monica (Calif.) High, is back on the diamond this summer, playing in Kansas City’s Ban Johnson League.

“I’m very determined and excited about it,” Gordon said of being a two-sport athlete. “I’ve been out of the game for a while. I missed it a lot. Baseball was the first sport I ever played. I’ve been playing it since I was 4 or 5 years old.”

Bulking up

If Gordon wants to play baseball for Kansas coach Ritch Price next spring, the sophomore has to gain weight. KU director of strength and conditioning Chris Dawson said he would like Gordon to weigh at least 180 pounds when the football season starts.

“It means everything in terms of preventing injuries and being durable, not only for football season but for trying to play two sports,” Dawson said.

Gordon talked to Mangino about the possibility of playing baseball before he signed a football letter of intent with KU. The coach was willing to let Gordon play baseball — eventually.

“I was kind of small and a little underweight,” Gordon said. “I still am a little bit. I needed to get stronger and faster.”

Speed hasn’t been a problem for the lightning-quick Gordon, and Dawson said the added weight wouldn’t slow down Gordon, a Sporting News Freshman All-American.

“Charles is getting faster,” Dawson said. “If he gets bigger and stronger, he’ll continue to get faster. He’s only going to become more explosive as he builds strength in his legs and hips.”

A standout on offense and defense for Kansas University's football team last fall, Charles Gordon is playing baseball this summer for Arrow Rents in Kansas City's Ban Johnson League.

Gordon has done just about everything Mangino’s staff has asked of him on and off the field. Gaining weight might be his biggest challenge yet.

Gordon eats three meals a day, snacks in the afternoon and before dinner and drinks two protein shakes a day. His schedule, however, keeps him on the run. Gordon is taking seven hours of summer school, attending summer conditioning four times a week, playing seven-on-seven twice a week, playing baseball three nights a week and attending regular meetings with tutors.

Anything else, Charles?

“I have to eat,” he said. “I’m an active guy. When I put on weight, I take it off doing something. I have to force myself to eat more.”

On the diamond

Price has had his eye on Gordon since the coach came to KU from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo after the 2002 season. A Cleveland Indians scout informed Price that KU already had a talented outfielder on campus; he just didn’t happen to be playing baseball.

“He was a very highly regarded player out of high school,” Price said.

Gordon didn’t play either sport as a true freshman, taking a red-shirt season during the 2002 football season. Gordon worked out for Price after that season, but Mangino wanted the freshman to concentrate on football a little longer before letting him pursue two sports.

That move paid off for Mangino and Gordon last fall when the three-way player helped the Jayhawks reach the postseason for the first time since 1995. Now Mangino is rewarding the standout by letting him play summer baseball.

If things go well, the outfielder will be back on the diamond in the spring.

“He’s a world-class athlete,” Price said. “He has tremendous speed. He’s one of the fastest guys you’re going to see on a baseball field in the country. He has good hands and a nice throwing arm. The hard thing for him will be making up for the two years he hasn’t played since high school. He just needs to play.”

Gordon faces his share of challenges in the Ban Johnson League, a wood-bat league for college-age players.

“He’s doing well,” said Arrow Rents coach John Hill, a Lawrence High and Baker graduate who is a Pittsburg State assistant. “It’s been two years since he played. Each game he gets a little better. You can tell he’s getting back to form.”

Through 14 games, Gordon was hitting .260 with six stolen bases in eight attempts.

“I’d never really swung a wood bat before,” he said. “You have to hit it perfect to hit it hard. It’s different. … It’s frustrating at times. I’m not hitting the ball like I used to in high school, but I’m getting more comfortable.”

Gordon has found other ways to get on base.

“He can bunt for base hits,” Hill said of the left-hander. “He can really utilize his speed.”

Kansas University football standout Charles Gordon puts down a bunt for his Arrow Rents team. Gordon, who is playing for the Kansas City Ban Johnson team this summer, will try to play baseball for KU.

That speed also makes Gordon a quality outfielder, and he has thrown out three runners at the plate.

“That guy covers a lot of territory,” Hill said. “It’s remarkable how good his footwork is in getting to the ball. He doesn’t waste any steps. His defense is great. I’m surprised how good his arm is after being off two years. I would have thought he’d have to build up his arm strength.”

Football comes first

Despite all the baseball talk, football remains a top priority for Gordon.

“His No. 1 commitment is football,” Price said. “There’s no doubt about that. If he meets all his goals, he’ll get to join us after football season.”

Price said the plan for sharing Gordon has been modeled after Stanford’s, which has had a number of successful two-sport athletes.

If things go as planned, Gordon would be focused on football during the fall and begin individual workouts with Price’s staff after football season ends. During the spring semester, he would practice and play with the baseball team while participating in offseason conditioning with the football team. He would be excused from baseball during spring football practices before playing baseball full-time the rest of the season.

Gordon will have to balance all those responsibilities and take care of his academic work.

“It is going to be a a challenge,” said Gordon, who is a business major. “I’m pretty smart. I can handle things responsibly. I can do it.”

Gordon, a third-year sophomore, has three years of eligibility remaining in both sports.

There won’t be any pressure on Gordon to come in and make an immediate impact in his first season of baseball. Outfielders Andy Scholl, A.J. Van Slyke and Matt Baty are expected to return, and Price also is excited about two outfield recruits — Gus Milner of Hutchinson Community College and Brock Simpson of Washburn Rural.

“We can’t count on him yet because he hasn’t played, but we’re excited about the opportunity for him to come in and play,” Price said of Gordon. “He’s a great kid. I really like the young man.”