Gordon Penn was a star running back with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the mid-1970s.
A graduate of Handsworth Secondary in North Vancouver who led the Handsworth Royals to their first-ever provincial championship appearance in 1973 (the team would capture their first title the following year after Gordon had graduated), he was a two-time Canada West All-Star (1975, 1976), the winner of the Frank Gnup Memorial Trophy as the Canada West Player of the Year in 1976, as well as the MVP of the Churchill Bowl in 1978 en route to leading UBC to their first-ever Vanier Cup berth.
Gordon was a member of two Canada West Championship Teams at UBC in 1976 and 1978. He was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in the 1976 CFL Draft.
Following his playing career, Gordon taught and coached at Vancouver College before retiring in 2014.