Halfback, St.
Louis Cardinals
Age: 30
8th
season in pro football, 2nd with Cardinals
College: Texas
Tech
Height: 6’3” Weight: 210
Prelude:
A two-time
All-American in college, where he was nicknamed “The Golden Palomino”, Anderson
was chosen in the first round of the 1965 NFL draft as a future pick by the
Green Bay Packers. Along with FB Jim Grabowski from Illinois, he received a
large contract to join the Packers in ’66 with the expectation that he would be
the heir to aging star HB Paul Hornung. He saw little action as a rookie but injuries
provided an opportunity to contribute in 1967 and he performed well in Green
Bay’s drive to a third straight NFL title, also being utilized as a punter and
kick returner as well as halfback. In 1968, Anderson rushed for 761 yards and
caught 25 passes for 333 more yards to gain selection to the Pro Bowl. Splitting
time with Elijah Pitts and Travis Williams in ’69, his production dropped off
significantly, but he came back to rush for a career-high 853 yards in 1970
while also catching 36 passes for 414 more yards. Following a 1971 season in
which he was joined by rookie FB John Brockington, Anderson was involved in a
contract dispute and had other problems with new Head Coach Dan Devine that led
to his being traded to the Cardinals in 1972. In his first year in St. Louis,
he gained 536 yards on the ground and 298 on 28 pass receptions while also
handling the punting (the last year that he would do so).
1973 Season Summary
Appeared and
in all 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 167
Most
attempts, game – 25 (for 82 yds.) at Atlanta 12/9
Yards – 679
Most yards,
game – 130 yards (on 18 carries) vs. NY Giants 10/28
Average gain
– 4.1
TDs – 10 [2,
tied with Mercury Morris, 1st in NFC]
100-yard
rushing games – 2
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 41
Most
receptions, game – 6 (for 44 yds.) vs. Philadelphia 10/14
Yards – 409
Most yards,
game – 67 (on 4 catches) vs. Denver 11/4
Average gain
– 10.0
TDs – 3
Scoring
TDs – 13 [2,
tied with Harold Jackson & Floyd Little]
Points – 78
[19, tied with Harold Jackson, Floyd Little & Bobby Howfield]
Cardinals
went 4-9-1 to finish fourth in the NFC East.
Aftermath:
Anderson was
supplanted at halfback by Terry Metcalf in 1974 and ran the ball just 90 times
for 316 yards while catching 15 passes. He was traded to Miami in the offseason
but retired during training camp. Overall, he rushed for 4696 yards on 1197
carries (3.9 avg.) and caught 209 passes for 2548 yards, scoring a total of 56
touchdowns. Anderson also averaged 39.6 yards on 387 punts, threw two TD passes
on halfback option plays, and ran back one punt for a touchdown.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
