Sons Of Anarchy: All 15 SAMCRO Ranks Explained (2024)

Sons of Anarchy introduced the audience to the SAMCRO motorcycle club, which has different designations and ranks for its members. Created by Kurt Sutter, Sons of Anarchy follows Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), VP of the motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy in the fictional town of Charming, in California. The events of the series are kickstarted when Jax finds a manifesto written by his late father, John, one of the founding members of the club, in which he shares his vision and plans, which leads Jax to question the club’s path and history, his relationships, family, and himself.

Each character on Sons of Anarchy is involved with the club in some capacity but only the members of SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original) hold legitimate ranks. These ranks range from the positions of power within the club, the roles that help facilitate the smooth operations of the club, and the soldiers that help with the more violent and illegal aspects of their organization. However, some of these ranks were not fully developed during the series, requiring some clarification about what the roles in Sons of Anarchy actually mean.

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First 9

Key Characters: John Teller, Clay Morrow

The First 9 was one of the Sons of Anarchy ranks given to the original nine members of the club, including its founders John Teller and Piermont “Piney” Winston (William Lucking), Opie’s father. These two characters formed the club in 1967 after they returned from the Vietnam War, and they were soon joined by other men, most of them war veterans as well.

The rest of the First 9 were Lenny “The Pimp” Janowitz, Keith McGee (later President of the club’s Belfast charter), 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. By the end of Sons of Anarchy, the only member of the First 9 that was still alive was Lenny, who was serving a life sentence at Stockton State Prison for killing three ATF agents.

President

Key Characters: Clay Morrow, Jax Teller

The most important Sons of Anarchy rank is the President of the club, who is the leader of the charter, and in the case of the President of SAMCRO, he also holds authority over the charters in the US and is at the top of the Sons of Anarchy hierarchy. John Teller was the President of SAMCRO until his death in 1993, after which Clay Morrow took over.

Clay was voted out of the club in season 5 after he revealed everything he did behind their backs and, most importantly, after Jax learned that he was involved in John Teller’s death. Jax took over as President after that, and when he was about to go to prison in season 6, he appointed Bobby as interim President, and following Jax’s death in the Sons of Anarchy series finale, Chibs became the President of SAMCRO.

Vice-President

Key Characters: Jax Teller, Bobby Munson

Sitting to the left of the President at the table is the Vice-President, the second-in-command of a charter and thus the one decision-making falls upon in the absence of the President. The first VP of the Sons of Anarchy ranks was Piney, who had to step down due to health issues, and years later Jax took the place of VP.

Once Jax became President in Sons of Anarchy, Bobby became VP but resigned shortly after, making Chibs VP. In the Sons of Anarchy finale, before Jax put his suicide plan into motion, he left his place as President to Chibs, who chose Alex “Tig” Trager as his VP.

Sergeant At Arms

Key Characters: Tig Trager, Chibs Telford

The seat to the right of the President in terms of the Sons of Anarchy ranks is reserved for the Sergeant-at-Arms rank, the President’s right hand, and the last line of defense between a threat and the President. The first Sergeant-at-Arms of SAMCRO was Lenny, and by the time Sons of Anarchy began, the Sergeant-at-Arms was Tig Trager.

However, Tig resigned after learning Clay had beaten Gemma. Chibs was then appointed as Sgt-at-arms when Bobby was VP. By the end of the series, under Chibs’ leadership, SAMCRO’s Sgt-at-arms is Happy Lowman (David Labrava), perhaps the most dangerous member of the club, so it’s a fitting position.

Secretary, Treasurer, & Road Captain

Keys Characters: Bobby Munson, Allesandro Montez

Next in SAMCRO’s ranks and in the Sons of Anarchy hierarchy are three positions that help with the club's operations. These positions weren’t technically highly developed in the series, but some well-known characters held those Sons of Anarchy ranks. First is the role of Secretary, who serves as the official record keeper, a position held by Bobby at the beginning of the series.

Bobby also served as Treasurer, and those in this position are in charge of keeping the books in the club. Next is Road Captain, who is responsible for all club runs, and this rank was held by Allesandro Montez.

Enforcer, Tail Gunner, & Ass Kicker

Key Characters: Happy Lowman

The next batch of Sons of Anarchy ranks that play a more minor role in the series are Enforcer, Tail Gunner, and Ass Kicker. Those wearing the patch of Enforcer served as bodyguards to the President. One notable enforcer in Sons of Anarchy was Happy Lowman, who often carried out murders for the gang. Tail Gunners were responsible for riding safety in club runs, thus riding at the back.

Unfortunately, this role went largely unexplored in the series. Finally, Ass Kicker doesn’t have a proper description, but it might be self-explanatory. Again, this Sons of Anarchy hierarchy rank wasn't held by any notable characters in the show.

Prospect

Key Characters: Half-Sack, Shepard, Eric Miles

In terms of Sons of Anarchy ranks, a prospect is a hopeful for club membership who, as such, doesn’t have a member patch yet. However, they do get to ride with the club and are given different tasks, that go from covering them during dangerous tasks to cleaning up the club’s HQ.

The most notable and well-remembered prospect was Kip “Half-Sack” Epps (Johnny Lewis), who was stabbed to death while defending Tara (Maggie Siff) and baby Abel. Other SAMCRO prospects throughout Sons of Anarchy were Shepard (who quit the club), Eric Miles (who was killed and framed by Juice), Filthy Phil Russell, V-Lin (killed by the True IRA), and Ratboy.

Live To Ride, Unholy Ones, Nomads

Key Characters: Clay Morrow, Happy Lowman

Live to Ride is part of the Harley-Davidson slogan (“Live to Ride, Ride to Live”), though their exact role within the club and Sons of Anarchy ranks is unknown and few characters of note held the title. The Unholy Ones are those willing to fight to the death for the club. Clay and Happy were the only two Sons of Anarchy characters to wear an "Unholy Ones" patch.

Finally, Nomads are those members who are not part of a proper charter, so they are free to roam as they please. Before becoming a proper SAMCRO member, Happy was a Nomad, and there was a charter named “NOMADS,” led by Quinn, who later joined SAMCRO.

Men Of Mayhem

Key Characters: Juice Ortiz

Men of Mayhem is one of the darkest Sons of Anarchy ranks and a "Men of Mayhem" patch is given to those SAMCRO members who have killed in the group’s name, meaning most members wore that patch on their vests. In Sons of Anarchy season 4, Juice Ortiz (Theo Rossi) was given a “Men of Mayhem” patch following the death of Eric. This rank is not to be confused with “Mister Mayhem”, a term used by the club to refer to killing someone, though it is a direct reference to the Men of Mayhem in the Sons of Anarchy hierarchy.

How The Mayans M.C. Ranks Compare To SAMCRO

Despite Their Conflicts, The Mayans And SAMCRO Operate Similarly

The Mayans motorcycle gang, who appear in Sons of Anarchy and are later the focus of the spin-off series Mayans M.C., have a broadly similar system of Sons of Anarchy ranks to SAMCRO. Like the Sons of Anarchy, the Mayans are a larger organization to which individual clubs belong, including the Santo Padre chapter that is central to Mayans M. C.

Obispo "Bishop" Losa serves as President of the chapter at the beginning of Mayans M. C. before the position is taken over by Ezekiel "E. Z." Reyes, with Bishop moving down to Vice President prior to Mayans M. C. season 5. The Mayans club also features the ranks of Secretary, Sergeant at Arms, and Road Captain, which are held by Angel Reyes, Hank "Tranq" Loza, and Neron "Creeper" Vargas respectively.

The club also uses a prospect system, with Nestor Oceteva becoming a prospect during the series. It's not known whether all of SAMCRO's ranks are used by the Mayans, but the most important and powerful ones are in play during the spin-off.