Gary Anderson (running back)
Encyclopedia
Gary Wayne Anderson is a former professional American football
running back
who played in the National Football League
, the United States Football League
and the Canadian Football League
from 1983 to 1995.
Anderson signed to play for the Tampa Bay Bandits
of the USFL in 1983 after a college football
career at the University of Arkansas
.
Anderson started late in the season and quickly became the starting
running back for the Bandits. He finished with 516 yards on 97 carries
with 4 touchdowns in 1983. In 1984, Anderson rushed for 1008 yards on 268 carries and scored 19 touchdowns (league leader). In 1985, Anderson had his best USFL season as he rushed for 1207 yards on 276 carries and had 16 touchdowns. He was named to one All-Star team in his USFL career and is the 4th leading rusher in USFL history.
and was used primarily as a backup running back and kick returner
. He returned a kickoff
for a 98-yard touchdown on November 17, 1985 that was the longest kickoff return of the 1985 season
. He continued to be a reserve and special teams player for the Chargers until 1988, when he became the starting running back and rushed for 1119 yards on 225 carries. He scored 3 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl
that season. In 1986, he caught 80 passes out of the backfield for 871 yards and 8 touchdowns.
In 1989, he sat out the season in a contract dispute with the Chargers. Anderson returned in 1990 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
and rushed for 646 yards on 166 carries. He played with the Buccaneers as a reserve running back until 1993, when he played briefly for the Detroit Lions
before retiring.
where he joined a man who coached against him in the USFL, Pepper Rodgers
. Anderson scored three touchdowns and gained 523 rushing and receiving yards in his one CFL season. When the US teams folded, the Saskatchewan Roughriders
selected him the 12th round of the dispersal draft, but released him prior to the start of the 1996 season.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
and the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
from 1983 to 1995.
USFL
Anderson was drafted in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. But could not agree on a contract. Anderson had filed suit against his first agent, Dr. Jerry A. Argovitz and the Tampa Bay Bandits. The suit alleged that Argovitz misrepresented the Charger's offer and that Argovitz stirred Anderson to the Bandits in exchange for a USFL franchise, Houston Gamblers. Sports Illustrated August 29, 1983.Anderson signed to play for the Tampa Bay Bandits
Tampa Bay Bandits
The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League . They were a charter member of the USFL and folded along with the league after the 1985 season....
of the USFL in 1983 after a college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
career at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
.
Anderson started late in the season and quickly became the starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
running back for the Bandits. He finished with 516 yards on 97 carries
Carry (American football)
In American football, a carry is a statistical term equivalent to a single rushing play. The term is typically used in reference to "yards per carry," meaning yards per attempt rushing the ball. Any offensive player who performs a carry is known as a ballcarrier, regardless of position....
with 4 touchdowns in 1983. In 1984, Anderson rushed for 1008 yards on 268 carries and scored 19 touchdowns (league leader). In 1985, Anderson had his best USFL season as he rushed for 1207 yards on 276 carries and had 16 touchdowns. He was named to one All-Star team in his USFL career and is the 4th leading rusher in USFL history.
NFL
In 1985, Anderson signed with the NFL's San Diego ChargersSan Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and was used primarily as a backup running back and kick returner
Kick returner
In American and Canadian football, a kick returner is the player on special teams who is primarily responsible to catch kickoffs and attempts to return them in the opposite direction. If the ball is kicked into his own endzone, he must assess the situation on the field while the ball is in the...
. He returned a kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
for a 98-yard touchdown on November 17, 1985 that was the longest kickoff return of the 1985 season
1985 NFL season
The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:...
. He continued to be a reserve and special teams player for the Chargers until 1988, when he became the starting running back and rushed for 1119 yards on 225 carries. He scored 3 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
that season. In 1986, he caught 80 passes out of the backfield for 871 yards and 8 touchdowns.
In 1989, he sat out the season in a contract dispute with the Chargers. Anderson returned in 1990 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
and rushed for 646 yards on 166 carries. He played with the Buccaneers as a reserve running back until 1993, when he played briefly for the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
before retiring.
CFL
In 1995, Anderson came out of retirement to play in the CFL for the expansion Memphis Mad DogsMemphis Mad Dogs
The Memphis Mad Dogs were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Mad Dogs were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States....
where he joined a man who coached against him in the USFL, Pepper Rodgers
Pepper Rodgers
Franklin C. "Pepper" Rodgers is a former American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head coach at the University of Kansas , University of California, Los Angeles , and the Georgia Institute of Technology , compiling a career college football record of...
. Anderson scored three touchdowns and gained 523 rushing and receiving yards in his one CFL season. When the US teams folded, the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
selected him the 12th round of the dispersal draft, but released him prior to the start of the 1996 season.