About James Alexander Gordon
Lived 1936 – 2014 (aged 78). James Alexander Gordon was a British sports journalist.
James Alexander Gordon (10 February 1936 – 18 August 2014) was a Scottish radio broadcaster, best known for reading out football results on BBC radio.
Born in Edinburgh in 1936, as a baby he was paralysed with polio and he spent a large part of his childhood in hospital. He worked in music publishing before joining the BBC in 1972, becoming an announcer and newsreader (mostly on Radio 2) until the early 1990s. In 1974 he followed in the footsteps of John Webster, reading the classified football results, first on Radio 2 and later on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Popularly known as "Jag", He also recorded a sequence of fictional football results to introduce each scene in performances of Tom Wells' 2013 play, Jumpers for Goalposts.
He announced his retirement from radio in July 2013 following surgery to remove his larynx after being diagnosed with cancer which rendered his voice too weak for broadcasting. He was succeeded as the reader of the classified football results by former Radio 4 newsreader Charlotte Green from late September 2013.
Death Gordon died of cancer on 18 August 2014, at the Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading.
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Important facts
People in James Alexander Gordon's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped James Alexander Gordon's
Frequently asked questions
Who was James Alexander Gordon?
Scottish radio broadcaster (1936-2014)
When was James Alexander Gordon born?
James Alexander Gordon was born on 10 February 1936 in Edinburgh.
When did James Alexander Gordon die?
James Alexander Gordon died on 18 August 2014 in Reading.
What was James Alexander Gordon's occupation?
James Alexander Gordon was a sports journalist.
What nationality was James Alexander Gordon?
James Alexander Gordon was British.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: James Alexander Gordon
· DBpedia: James Alexander Gordon
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). James Alexander Gordon. https://biography.guide/james-alexander-gordon-sports-journalist/
MLA: "James Alexander Gordon." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/james-alexander-gordon-sports-journalist/.
Chicago: "James Alexander Gordon." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/james-alexander-gordon-sports-journalist/.
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