Robert Conrad Anderson (born October 11, 1947) is a former American college and professional football player who was a halfback in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for five seasons during the 1970s. Anderson played college football for the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

, and received All-American honors. He was picked in the first round of the

1970 NFL Draft The 1970 National Football League Draft was the 35th National Football League Draft and the first of the league's modern era, following the merger of the National Football League with the American Football League. It was held on January 27–28, ...

, and played professional for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

, New England Patriots and

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

of the NFL. Anderson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Early years

Anderson was born in

Midland, Michigan Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Michigan. The city's population was 42,547 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area, part of the larger Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Com ...

. He attended Boulder High School in Boulder, Colorado; following his senior season at Boulder he won the Gold Helmet award for being Colorado's top football player.

College career

Anderson attended the

, where he played for the Colorado Buffaloes football team from 1967 to 1969. He was the Buffaloes' dual-threat running quarterback during his sophomore and junior seasons, and led the team in both rushing and passing. The 1967 Buffaloes finished 9–2 and second in the Big Eight Conference, and Anderson scored twice as Colorado beat the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes (known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes) are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...

in the Bluebonnet Bowl. The 1968 Buffaloes finished 8–3, for third in the conference. When the 1969 Buffaloes faced injuries in the backfield, Anderson shifted to running back for the third game. The team finished third in the conference and went to the Liberty Bowl, where he rushed for a bowl record 254 yards and three touchdowns in a 47–33 victory over the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

. Following his senior season, Anderson was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. Anderson's older brother

Dick Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...

played for Colorado as a defensive back from 1965 to 1967.

Professional career

The Denver Broncos selected Anderson in the first round (11th pick overall) of the 1970 NFL Draft, and he played for the Broncos from to . He played a final NFL season in , splitting the year between the New England Patriots and Washington Redskins. In five NFL seasons, Anderson played in fifty-three games, and rushed 313 times for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns. He also had eighty-four receptions for 861 yards and two touchdowns.

Post-playing career

Anderson formerly served as a long-time broadcaster on the CU Football Network. Anderson also appeared in the 1977 Robbie Benson movie '' One on One'' as "Hitman King", as well as in the 1985

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

bicycling film "American Flyers" as a reporter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Bobby 1947 births Living people American football quarterbacks American football running backs Colorado Buffaloes football players Denver Broncos players New England Patriots players Washington Redskins players All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Midland, Michigan Sportspeople from Boulder, Colorado Players of American football from Colorado