Welcome to Seawolves Legends, a series dedicated to honoring the individuals who have left an indelible mark on the Seattle Seawolves. From standout players to behind-the-scenes heroes, these stories highlight the passion, dedication, and heart that make the Seawolves family extraordinary.
The next legend we honor in this series is a man whose connection to rugby runs deeper than the game itself - it has been a lifelong calling. From his early days on Washington’s club fields to winning national championships and helping establish the Seattle Seawolves, Kellen Gordon’s impact on the sport is undeniable. An original Seawolf, he helped to shape our team’s identity. Now, as a coach and mentor, he gives back so that the next generation can carry forward the same passion that defined his career.
Even when injury, family responsibility, and multiple retirement attempts pulled him in other directions, rugby always found a way to reel him back in.
Today, the Seawolves proudly recognize Kellen as one of our newly formed Legends, honoring his lasting impact on the team, the sport, and the community.
Kellen was born in Kenmore, Washington, where his sports career started early. His mother signed him up for athletics as soon as he could walk, and by middle school, he was a lead lineman in football.
Ultimately, it was rugby that stole his heart.
Kellen first heard about rugby from a friend who kept urging him to attend practice. Around the same time, family friends from New Zealand introduced him to the game, sparking his curiosity. “When I found out that, unlike football, linemen could actually run with the ball, I was sold,” he said.
That was the start of a journey that took him from Redmond Rugby Club to the Eastside Axemen, the Washington Loggers, and eventually, Central Washington University.
After college, Kellen took his training to the next level, joining Canterbury’s International High-Performance Unit in New Zealand, where he honed his skills in a professional rugby environment.
“It was my first real taste of professional rugby,” he said. “From that point on, I knew I wanted to be part of the sport at the highest level.”
By 2017, Major League Rugby was launching in the United States, and Kellen was ready. At the time, he was playing for Seattle Rugby Club, one of the nation’s top teams, alongside several players with U.S. national team experience. As an injury reserve in the system, he saw MLR as an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
That’s when the Seattle Seawolves came calling. Kellen was well-known among the Canadian coaches originally leading, from his years of experience playing in the British Columbia League. He also had ties to the Seawolves’ ownership, who saw his leadership and talent as a valuable addition to the team.
So, in 2018, Kellen became one of the original Seawolves, helping lay the foundation for what would become a dominant rugby franchise.
Those first years weren’t always smooth.
“Our coaches were coming down from Canada, but they couldn’t get visas, so they had to go back,” Kellen recalled. “For two seasons, we were basically a player-run team. It was chaotic, but it made us tight-knit.”
Despite the challenges, the Seawolves thrived, winning back-to-back MLR Championships in 2018 and 2019.
During his time with the team, Kellen made 44 appearances, adding his game strategy and skillset to the forward pack. He played a key role in the Seawolves’ set pieces, made 187 tackles with an 88% completion rate, and even scored a try during his five seasons with the team.
One of Kellen’s favorite memories comes from a 2019 road trip to New York. The team was set up in a farmhouse owned by a team investor, but when they arrived, they discovered the beds had no mattresses, and some players had to stay in a nearby rundown motel.
“One day, we came back from training, and the motel owner was just sitting in one of our rooms, smoking a cigarette like he belonged there.” said Kellen. The experience, though bizarre, only strengthened the team’s camaraderie.
“We had a group of guys who just clicked,” he said. “The bond we built during those early years is something I’ll always remember.”
After the 2019 championship season, Kellen’s rugby career took an unexpected turn.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short. Around the same time, his son was born with spina bifida, a spinal condition that required months of specialized care in Houston, Texas. Kellen stepped away from professional rugby to focus on his family.
“I was semi-retired at that point,” he said. “But rugby wasn’t finished with me.”
That same year, the Seawolves were hit with injuries. Their first match of the 2021 season happened to be in Houston, and they needed extra depth at prop. They reached out to Kellen, who agreed to sit on the bench.
Then, mid-game, he was called in. Next thing he knew, he was on the field … and then he tore his pectoral tendon.
“This was right before my son was born,” said Kellen. “After that, I figured I was really done.”
But rugby still wasn’t, in his words, finished with him.
In 2022, after settling back in Seattle, Seawolves coach Allen “Clarkie” Clarke convinced him to come out of retirement for one last season.
“We made it to the final,” Kellen said. “I told myself, ‘Okay, this is it. I’m retiring again.’”
Yet, in 2024, injuries struck the Seawolves front row once more. By then, Kellen was playing club rugby again, so when the team needed him, he answered the call.
And after one final season, he retired, this time for good.
These days, Kellen is still deeply involved in Seattle’s rugby community. He serves as Seattle Rugby Club’s Men’s Director of Rugby, coaching and developing the next generation of players.
“Good people make great rugby players,” he said. “That’s something we teach at the club. Rugby is about connection, on the field and off. It’s about being the kind of person who lifts others up.”
That philosophy of his extends far beyond rugby. Kellen and his wife are active supporters of Spina Bifida Advocates of Washington, where they help raise awareness and support families like theirs.
They also work with wheelchair rugby for veterans and Special Olympics programs. “My son loves sports,” he said, “and wheelchair rugby might be something he can do in the future. We want to make sure those opportunities are there.”
With a three-year-old son already obsessed with rugby, Kellen is preparing for a future where the next generation of Gordons takes the pitch.
From Seattle’s first championship seasons to his impact as a coach and mentor, Kellen Gordon has helped shape rugby in the Pacific Northwest.
Even with a full-time job, a family, and multiple retirement attempts, he never truly left the game.
“Rugby is a community,” Kellen said. “It’s one of the few sports where you can go to almost any country in the world, find a rugby team, and instantly have a family.”
That sense of belonging, resilience, and camaraderie is what makes rugby special. And it’s why Kellen, despite all the retirements, always finds his way back.
