The ranks of the motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy are shown here, along with information about each member’s club roles and who gets to wear the patches.
The motorcycle club of the same name, which has many titles or ranks, was presented to the audience by the television show Sons of Anarchy. Kurt Sutter’s Sons of Anarchy, which debuted on FX in 2008 and earned positive reviews right away, was able to continue for another six seasons before ending in 2014. The primary cast of Sons of Anarchy received accolades for their performances, especially Katey Sagal’s as Gemma Teller-Morrow, and for the show’s portrayal of issues like racism and corruption, both inside the club and with outside organizations.
The television series Sons of Anarchy centers on Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), the vice president of the fictional Californian motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy. The series’ events begin when Jax discovers a manifesto written by his late father, John Teller, who was one of the club’s founding members and shares his vision and plans for the organization. This discovery causes Jax to reflect on the club’s direction and history as well as his relationships, family, and self. Over the course of the series, the MC underwent a number of changes. Jax eventually became the club’s president, and that led to other changes in the club’s ranks that persisted until the end of the series.
When Sons of Anarchy first began, Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) was the club’s president and Jax its vice president. However, after Jax assumed the presidency, he named Bobby Munson (Mark Boone Junior) as his VP. However, Bobby Munson resigned because he disagreed with Jax’s leadership, and Filip “Chibs” Telford took his place. Even though President and Vice President are the primary ranks in SAMCRO, there are numerous other positions that contribute to the organization’s ability to maintain some order. These positions are all identified by patches that club members wear on their vests, though not all of them are particularly noticeable and some titles weren’t well-developed in the series. These are the 15 SAMCRO ranks and the Sons of Anarchy characters who donned each patch.
First 9
The club’s founding members John Teller and Piermont “Piney” Winston (William Lucking), Opie’s father, were given the rank of “First 9,” which was given to the club’s first nine members. After returning from the Vietnam War in 1967, these two fictional characters founded the group. Soon after, other men—the majority of whom had also been in war—joined them.
Lenny “The Pimp” Janowitz, Keith McGee, Wally Grazer, Thomas “Uncle Tom” Whitney, Chico Villanueva, Otto “Lil” Killer Moran (not to be confused with Sutter’s character Otto “Big Otto” Delaney), and Clay Morrow made up the other members of the First 9. Lenny, who was serving a life sentence at Stockton State Prison for the murder of three ATF officers, was the only member of the First 9 who was still alive by the end of Sons of Anarchy.
President
The club’s president is in charge of the charter, and in the case of SAMCRO, he also has control over the charters in the US. Up to his passing in 1993, John Teller presided over SAMCRO as president; Clay Morrow then succeeded him. After he disclosed all he did behind his teammates’ backs and, more importantly, after Jax discovered that he was responsible for John Teller’s death, Clay was expelled from the club in season 5. After that, Jax became SAMCRO’s president. In season 6, when he was ready to enter prison, he named Bobby as acting president. When Jax passed away in the series finale, Chibs took over as SAMCRO’s leader.
Vice-President
The Vice-President is seated to the left of the President at the table. As the second-in-command under a charter, he or she is the one who makes decisions when the President is not there. Piney served as SAMCRO’s first vice president until he had to resign due to health reasons; Jax eventually assumed the position. Bobby was named vice president after Jax was elected president, but he quit soon after, making Chibs the new vice president. Before Jax carried out his suicide plan in the Sons of Anarchy finale, he gave Chibs the position of President and selected Alex “Tig” Trager (Kim Coates) as his Vice President.
Sgt. At Arms
The Sergeant-at-Arms, the President’s right hand and the final line of defense between a threat and the President, is assigned the seat to the President’s right. Lenny served as SAMCRO’s first Sgt. at Arms, and Tig Trager had this position at the start of Sons of Anarchy’s storyline. But when Tig found out that Clay had defeated Gemma, she resigned. It’s a suitable role since Happy Lowman (David Labrava), arguably the most deadly member of the club, is now SAMCRO’s Sgt-at-arms thanks to Chibs’ leadership. Chibs was initially selected as Sgt-at-arms when Bobby was VP.
Secretary, Treasurer, And Road Captain
The next three positions in SAMCRO’s hierarchy weren’t established in the show, but certain well-known personalities did hold them at various points. The first is that of Secretary, a job held by Bobby at the start of the series and responsible for maintaining official records. Bobby also held the post of Treasurer at one point. Those in this position are responsible for maintaining the club’s books. The next position is Road Captain, who is in charge of organizing all club runs. Allesandro Montez (Jacob Vargas), who was chosen by Bobby as the club’s Reno founder member, previously held this position.
Enforcer, Tail Gunner, And Ass Kicker
Enforcer, Tail Gunner, and Ass Kicker make up the following group of ranks with minimal roles in Sons of Anarchy. Ass Kicker doesn’t have a clear description, although it might be self-explanatory. Enforcers functioned as the President’s bodyguards; Tail Gunners were in charge of riding safety in club runs, hence they rode at the back.
Prospect
A prospect is someone who is hoping to join the club but does not yet have a member patch. They do, however, get to ride with the club and are given various jobs, from protecting them during risky activities to cleaning the club headquarters. The most renowned and remembered candidate was Kip “Half-Sack” Epps (Johnny Lewis), who died after defending Tara (Maggie Siff) and the infant Abel. Throughout Sons of Anarchy, Shepard (who left the club), Eric Miles (who was slain and falsely accused by Juice), Filthy Phil Russell, V-Lin, and Ratboy were other SAMCRO hopefuls.
Live To Ride, Unholy Ones, Nomads
Although their precise function inside the club is uncertain, Live to Ride is a part of the Harley Davidson motto (“Live to Ride, Ride to Live”). The majority of club members fall under the category of The Unholy Ones, whereas Nomads are club members who are not a part of a proper charter and are therefore free to go anywhere they like. Happy was a Nomad before officially joining SAMCRO, and Quinn commanded a charter called “NOMADS” that subsequently became a member of SAMCRO.
Men Of Mayhem
Men of Mayhem, a rank and patch awarded to SAMCRO members who have committed murder in the organization’s name, was worn by the majority of the group’s members. Juice Ortiz (Theo Rossi) received a “Men of Mayhem” patch in Sons of Anarchy season 4 after Eric’s passing and Clay’s treatment of the Russians and Mayans, which led to Clay giving him the patch. Although it makes reference to the Men of Mayhem, this rank should not be confused with “Mister Mayhem,” the club’s name for murder.
