Forddy Anderson

Forddy Anderson
Anderson from the 1953 Anaga
Biographical details
Born(1919-03-17)March 17, 1919
Gary, Indiana, U.S.
DiedOctober 25, 1999(1999-10-25) (aged 80)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Playing career
1939–1941Stanford
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1946–1948Drake
1948–1954Bradley
1954–1965Michigan State
1965–1970Hiram Scott
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1965–1970Hiram Scott
Head coaching record
Overall299–203
Tournaments9–5 (NCAA / NCAA University Division)
4–3 (NIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
3 NCAA Regional—Final Four (1950, 1954, 1957)
MVC regular season (1950)
2 Big Ten regular season (1957, 1959)

Forrest "Forddy" Anderson (March 17, 1919 – October 25, 1999)[1] was an American basketball coach. He was the first coach in NCAA history to take two different teams to the Final Four; Bradley in 1950 and 1954 and Michigan State in 1957.

Early life

The Gary, Indiana native led his Ralph W. Emerson High to an IHSAA Sectional title in 1937; he was recruited to Stanford University by fellow Indiana native Everett Dean. Anderson was named All-Pacific Coast after the 1940–41 season; after Pearl Harbor was attacked, he joined the US Navy and spent two years at Great Lakes Training Facility, where he played basketball for Tony Hinkle.

Coaching career

After completing his Stanford degree in 1946, he was hired as the basketball coach at Drake University. Anderson was considered one of the most innovative coaches of his era and served a combined 24 seasons as head men's basketball coach at Drake University (1946–1948), Bradley University (1948–1954), Michigan State University (1954–1965) and Hiram Scott College (1965–1970).[2]

Anderson twice led his Bradley teams to the NCAA Finals (1950 and 1954). His 1950 team also finished as the NIT runner-up.

He moved to Michigan State, where his 1957 Big Ten Champion Michigan State club finished fourth in the NCAA tournament and his 1959 Michigan State team lost in the Elite Eight (regional finals).

He was fired in the spring of 1965, whereupon he was recruited to assist in creating the athletic department at Hiram Scott College. After Hiram Scott closed its doors, he was the head coach of Peru's national team during the 1970–71 FIBA seasons.

He then began a long career as a collegiate scout for the Boston Celtics during the 1980s and 1990s. He was instrumental in many of the Celtics' draft picks during that era.[citation needed]

Personal life

Forddy Anderson and his wife Constance "Pat" Anderson were the parents of four children, Constance, Barbara, Forrest Jr. (Frosty) and Tracey. Anderson died on October 25, 1999, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the age of 80, after suffering from complications due to pneumonia.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Drake Bulldogs (Missouri Valley Conference) (1946–1948)
1946–47 Drake 18–11 8–4 T–2nd
1947–48 Drake 14–12 5–5 3rd
Drake: 32–23 (.582) 13–9 (.591)
Bradley Braves (Missouri Valley Conference) (1948–1951)
1948–49 Bradley 27–8 6–4 3rd NIT Fourth Place
1949–50 Bradley 32–5 11–1 1st NCAA Runner-up, NIT Runner-up
1950–51 Bradley 32–6 11–3 2nd
Bradley Braves (Independent) (1951–1954)
1951–52 Bradley 17–12
1952–53 Bradley 15–12
1953–54 Bradley 19–13 NCAA Runner-up
Bradley: 142–56 (.717) 28–8 (.778)
Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten Conference) (1954–1965)
1954–55 Michigan State 13–9 8–6 4th
1955–56 Michigan State 13–9 7–7 5th
1956–57 Michigan State 16–10 10–4 T–1st NCAA University Division Final Four
1957–58 Michigan State 16–6 9–5 2nd
1958–59 Michigan State 19–4 12–2 1st NCAA University Division Elite Eight
1959–60 Michigan State 10–11 5–9 8th
1960–61 Michigan State 7–17 3–11 9th
1961–62 Michigan State 8–14 3–11 T–9th
1962–63 Michigan State 4–16 3–11 9th
1963–64 Michigan State 14–10 8–6 T–4th
1964–65 Michigan State 5–18 1–13 10th
Michigan State: 125–124 (.502) 69–85 (.448)
Total: 299–203 (.596)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

References

  1. ^ Infoplease reference on Forrest Anderson
  2. ^ "Out on the wide Nebraska prairie a famous refugee from - 01.10.66 - SI Vault". Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.


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