Bruce Anderson (American football)

For other people named Bruce Anderson, see Bruce Anderson (disambiguation).

Bruce Anderson
No. 79, 83
Date of birth (1944-01-18) January 18, 1944 (age 80)
Place of birthCoos Bay, Oregon, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)Defensive end
US collegeWillamette
High schoolMarshfield (Oregon)
NFL draft1966 / round: 6 / pick: 82
Career history
As player
1966Los Angeles Rams
1967–1969New York Giants
1970Washington Redskins
Career stats
Games played59
Starts33
Fumble recoveries4

Bruce Albert "Spider" Anderson (born January 18, 1944) is a businessman and former American football player. He was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) from 1966 to 1970 for the Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Rams, and New York Giants.[1] A NAIA All-American in 1965, Anderson is a member of the Willamette University Athletic Hall of Fame.

He was a co-owner and team president of the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League in 1983. Anderson's business career included stints as a Wall Street stockbroker and as head of the Coquille Tribe's economic development organization, where he was charged and indicted for misuse of federal funds and improper disposal of asbestos.

Early years

Bruce Anderson was born in Coos Bay, Oregon on January 18, 1944. He was one of a family of three children.[2]

He played high school football for Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon before playing college football at Willamette University, a private liberal arts college in Oregon where he was a four-year letterman as a member of the school's football team.[2] During his senior season in 1965 he was named a team captain and won post-season honors as an NAIA All-American.[2]

Professional football career

Anderson was drafted in the sixth round of the 1966 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He saw action in 7 games for the Rams during his 1966 rookie season.[3] He was traded to the New York Giants on September 11, 1967, for a future draft choice.[3]

Anderson played the 1967, 1968, and 1969 seasons for the Giants, emerging as a starter at right defensive end in 1968 before moving to the left side in 1969.[4] During his playing career the 6'4" Anderson was given the nickname "Spider" by coaches because of his long legs and arms.[3]

On August 13, 1970, Anderson was traded again, this time to the Washington Redskins, in exchange for defensive tackle Jim Norton.[3] He saw action in all 14 games for the Redskins, starting in 8 at the right defensive end position.[4]

Anderson was dealt again on August 4, 1971, this time to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for running back Tom Barrington.[3] At the time of the trade, Redskins head coach George Allen indicated that the team had been trying to find a trade partner for Anderson for two months "to give him the chance he wants so badly."[5] Due to the paucity of defensive linemen on the Saints' roster, "Bruce will get his chance," Allen added.[5]

Unfortunately, the 27-year old Anderson failed his team physical due to an existing knee injury, the Saints announced on August 9, leading to his being placed on waivers, effectively ending his NFL career.[6]

During his NFL playing career, Anderson worked in the off-season in public relations for the Control Data Corporation of Los Angeles.[2]

Business career

After his retirement from the league, Anderson became a stockbroker on Wall Street after a fan introduced him to a firm in 1967. He became a real estate investor in the 1970s in Southern California.[7] In January 1983, Anderson and REI executive Jerry Horn purchased a controlling stake in the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League.[8] During his short tenure as co-owner and team president, Anderson fired head coach Alan Hinton and implemented a new logo and colors for the team, which were poorly received by fans.[9][10] Anderson resigned as president in July and sold his shares a month later amid accusations of unpaid player wages.[11][12] The team folded in September.[13]

Anderson, a member of the Coquille Tribe, was the chairman of the Coquille Economic Development Corporation in the 1990s and worked to build housing with financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).[14] An audit from HUD determined that he spent $800,000 from a federal grant earmarked for low-income tribal housing on his own house, a casino, and personal projects.[15] Anderson was fired from his position with the Coquille Tribe in 1996 and continued his private real estate development ventures in the Pacific Northwest amid ongoing federal investigations.[16] He was indicted by a federal grand jury in 1999 for improper disposal of asbestos used in an old factory that was converted into the Coquille Tribe's casino in Coos Bay, Oregon.[17]

Legacy and honors

Anderson was inducted into the Willamette University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.[18]

References

  1. ^ "Bruce Anderson". NFL. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d Smith, Don, ed. (1968). 1968 NY Football Giants: Press / Radio & Television. New York Football Giants, Inc. p. 11.
  3. ^ a b c d e Marcin, Joe, ed. (1971). Football Register, 1971. St. Louis: The Sporting News. p. 7.
  4. ^ a b "Bruce Anderson". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Washington Gets Tom Barrington". The Shreveport Journal. Associated Press. August 4, 1971. p. C3. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Saints' Swinney Decides to Quit". The Shreveport Journal. Associated Press. August 9, 1971. p. C4. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Meyers, Georg N. (May 5, 1983). "'The ogre': Pummeled by public and press, Sounder owner holds that line". The Seattle Times. p. F1.
  8. ^ Smith, Craig (January 12, 1983). "New Sounder owners fire Hinton". The Seattle Times. p. G1.
  9. ^ Eskenazi, David (April 12, 2011). "Wayback Machine: Sounders 1.0 — Final Soap Opera". Sportspress Northwest. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  10. ^ Rudman, Steve (August 5, 1983). "Sounder players stuck in the middle of tragic farce". The Seattle Times. p. B3.
  11. ^ Wright, Bart (July 1, 1983). "Anderson resigns as president; sale of stock near". The News Tribune. p. B1. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Smith, Craig (August 1, 1983). "NASL dispatches lawyer to view Sounder chaos". The Seattle Times. p. D8.
  13. ^ Wright, Bart (July 24, 1994). "Sounders on grass—wouldn't that be a kick?". The News Tribune. p. C1. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Nadler, Eric; Nelson, Deborah; Tizon, Alex (December 2, 1996). "Key to HUD's cashbox". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  15. ^ Nelson, Deborah; Nadler, Eric (April 23, 1997). "HUD says $800,000 misused". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Griffith, John (April 5, 1998). "Fired tribal official tackles other tasks". The Oregonian. p. C4. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Nalder, Eric (October 1, 1999). "Tribal-housing figure indicted in asbestos case". The Seattle Times. p. B3.
  18. ^ "Class of 2001 - Hall of Fame". Athletics. Willamette University. Retrieved March 29, 2009.

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