Bret Anderson (born April 23, 1974) is a former
Canadian football placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter.
Spe ...
and
slotback who played his entire career for the
BC Lions of the
Canadian Football League.
Anderson is 6'3" and 215 lbs. He played 13 years in the CFL, mostly as a slotback and all with the Lions. He went to
Simon Fraser University in
Burnaby.
During that time, he also worked with former
Coquitlam Cheetahs track and field coach
Percy Perry on developing his running.
Bret was drafted in the 4th round, 25th overall by the Lions in the
1997 CFL Draft The 1997 CFL Draft took place on Monday, April 7, 1997. 48 Canadian football players were chosen from 363 eligible Canadian universities as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA.
The Ottawa Rough Riders folded following the 1996 CFL season ...
. Anderson was key to the BC Lions's
2000 Grey Cup
The 88th Grey Cup (Canadian Football League championship) was held in 2000 in Calgary. The BC Lions won the game 28–26 over the Montreal Alouettes. The Lions, who finished 8–10 with an overtime loss during the regular season, became the firs ...
win. From 2001 to 2003, he caught 66 passes and had 4 touchdowns as a backup. He played only 5 games in 2004 before retiring to become a firefighter. In 2005, he came back and recorded his longest kick ever on October 16, 2005 against the Montreal Alouettes. The kick was 91 yards long. Anderson got his second
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
ring in 2006.
Bret Anderson works for the
Port Coquitlam fire department both during and after the football season. The
Coquitlam, British Columbia native has gone through the formality of resigning from the Lions each year since he got on full-time with the PCFD in 2004 (he left the team after five games that season and did not rejoin until 2005).
Anderson did not initially return for the
2009 BC Lions season
The 2009 BC Lions season was the 52nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 56th overall. The Lions finished the season in fourth place in the West Division with a disappointing 8–10 record after losing their last three r ...
but was re-signed on October 5, 2009.
High school career
Anderson attended
Terry Fox Secondary School in
Port Coquitlam,
British Columbia where he played both football and basketball. He played
quarterback on the football team. As a senior in 1992, Anderson led the Terry Fox Ravens to the semi-finals of the provincial playoffs, where the Ravens lost to the
Vancouver College Fighting Irish. He was designated the high school football offensive player-of-the-year in British Columbia.
As a basketball player, Anderson was selected as the
MVP of the British Columbia AAA high school basketball tournament after leading the Ravens to their first championship in school history.
During the tournament, he scored 44 points against
Caledonia
Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...
and a game-high 28 points in the final against the
North Delta Huskies.
He played in a provincial basketball all-star game and was selected to represent British Columbia in the first football national championship tournament.
Anderson was a finalist for 1993 British Columbia High School Athlete of the Year.
College career
Anderson was recruited to play both football and basketball for colleges in the United States and Canada. By March 1993, over sixty colleges indicated interest. Anderson chose to remain in British Columbia and play both sports for the
Simon Fraser Clan.
Football
In 1993, Anderson was third on the depth chart at quarterback and contributed mostly as a
punter. He finished with 1,406 yards on punts, and his only scoring play was a 53-yard rushing touchdown on a
trick play.
As a sophomore, Anderson was initially used as a receiver after multiple players dropped out of the football team during training camp. After placekicker Tyson O'Shea suffered a knee injury, Anderson also began kicking field goals and regularly punting for the Clan.
In his first game as a placekicker, he kicked four field goals and four one-point conversions to be named
Mount Rainer Columbia Football Association player of the week.
In 1995, Anderson was selected to the All-Conference first team as a kicker.
As a senior, Anderson's kicking was considered the most reliable portion of the Clan's offense.
He was named to the All-Conference second team.
Basketball
As a freshman, Anderson didn't participate heavily on the basketball team. Due to overlaps in the football and basketball seasons, he didn't join the team until November, and he played only 13 minutes over the first four games he played with the Clan.
Anderson was eventually substituted into 13 games as a freshman and scored 21 points.
He was more active on the team as a sophomore. Anderson scored 10 points in overtime to help the Clan defeat
Lewis–Clark State College 85–69.
The following week, he scored a team-high 18 points in a 90–87 playoff loss to
Seattle University
Seattle University (SeattleU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington. Seattle University is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate prog ...
.
Anderson continued playing basketball through his junior year before deciding to focus solely on football as a senior.
Professional career
1997 season
The BC Lions selected Anderson in the fourth round of the
1997 CFL Draft The 1997 CFL Draft took place on Monday, April 7, 1997. 48 Canadian football players were chosen from 363 eligible Canadian universities as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA.
The Ottawa Rough Riders folded following the 1996 CFL season ...
with the 25th overall pick. He was expected to be "groomed as
icker Lui Passaglia's eventual replacement".
In the Lions' first preseason game, Anderson had a shaky start as a placekicker, missing two of five field goal attempts.
He competed for
Trevor Shaw's slotback position, but the Lions eventually decided to convert
Al Shipman to slotback and retain both Shaw and Anderson as backups.
Anderson contributed most as a kickoff specialist during the 1997 season, but he also was used as a punter occasionally.
He played in 13 regular season games as a rookie.
1998 season
Anderson again competed for a roster spot as a slotback in 1998.
Despite catching five receptions for 45 yards in a preseason game, Anderson failed to make the roster as a slotback and was released as part of the Lions' final roster cuts before the start of the regular season.
In mid-July, slotback Shaw dislocated his shoulder and was unable to start. Anderson rejoined the team and received his first start in place of Shaw.
He reclaimed his kickoff role later that month before suffering a groin injury.
Anderson's injury prevented him from playing for the entirety of August, and he was unable to perform kickoffs even after his return to special teams.
He finished his limited season with 13 regular season appearances.
1999 season
Anderson played in all 18 regular season games in 1999, mostly as a kickoff specialist.
Anderson acted as a backup kicker for Passaglia on field goals, but he didn't kick any field goals despite Passaglia suffering an adbdominal muscle injury in the early season.
Anderson recorded a career-high 21 special team tackles, including five against the
Montreal Alouettes in early September.
2000 season
After receiver
Don Blair
Donald Blair (born April 6, 1972, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a former Canadian football wide receiver who played eight seasons in the Canadian Football League from 1996 to 2003 for the Edmonton Eskimos, BC Lions, and Calgary Stampeders. In his profes ...
underwent surgery, Anderson again competed for a starting slotback role. He injured his knee while playing in a preseason game against the
Calgary Stampeders, preventing him from continuing in the role during the regular season.
Although activated briefly for a game in late July, Anderson was later moved to the nine-week injured list and did not return until October.
He finished with four regular season games played in 2000.
In the West final against the Stampeders, one of Anderson's kickoffs landed short, bounced off a Lions player's leg, and went out of bounds to allow the Lions to regain possession. This helped contribute to a 37–23 win, which was considered a major upset.
The Lions went on to win the
88th Grey Cup against the 27–21 against the Alouettes, making Anderson a Grey Cup champion.
2001 season
After winning the Grey Cup, Passaglia elected to retire. Anderson competed with
Jamie Boreham
Jamie Boreham (born March 29, 1978 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a former professional Canadian football punter and placekicker and is the head coach of the Prince George Kodiaks of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL). He played for ei ...
and
Matt Kellett for kicking and punting duties.
The Lions elected to use Anderson more as a receiver than kicker with the Lions coaching staff believing he could have a "breakout season".
In the season opener against the
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...
, Anderson scored his first career receiving touchdown, following it with a
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
on the resulting kickoff.
Due to a
hip pointer and back injury suffered during the opener, Anderson spent multiple stints on the injured list in July and early August.
After returning to the team in mid-August, Anderson was effective on special teams, blocking a punt in two consecutive games.
Due to various injuries, Anderson spent September as back-ups at receiver, kicker, and quarterback.
He spent some time playing both receiver and kicker in late September due to injuries and a kicking slump by Kellett, respectively.
Anderson finished the season with 189 receiving yards on 18 catches over 15 regular season games, his largest receiving load with the Lions up to that time.
2002 season
Anderson was re-signed by the Lions in January 2002.
Anderson solidified his role as a starting receiver during the preseason.
He briefly missed time in late July with a knee issue.
In October, Anderson scored a single on a
trick play as the first half ended when he caught a 30-yard reception and immediately kicked it into the endzone, where it was recovered by the Calgary Stampeders.
The 2002 season was Anderson's most successful as a receiver with 409 receiving yards on 28 catches, both lasting career highs.
2003 season
Anderson played slotback regularly during June and July while
Jason Clermont
Jason Clermont (born May 24, 1978) is a former professional Canadian football slotback who retired after ten seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the BC Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders. Clermont started his professional career wit ...
was injured.
By mid-July, Anderson had 11 receptions for 158 yards.
He slowed down through the rest of the season after Clermont returned, finishing with 20 catches for 237 yards and two touchdowns.
In November, Anderson signed a contract extension for one year with an option.
2004 season
In July, Lions head coach
Wally Buono had Anderson kick field goals in practice, announcing that Anderson may take over that responsibility if kicker
Duncan O'Mahony
Duncan O'Mahony h-MAH-nee(b. June 29, 1976 in Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland) is a Canadian football punter and placekicker who is currently a free agent.
Early years
Despite being born in Ireland and having lived in Australia and Newfoundland ...
continued to perform poorly.
Having already lost his kickoff role to O'Mahony, Anderson had no consistent role on the team in 2004 other than as a special teams player. In late July, Anderson announced he was leaving the Lions to become a firefighter full-time.
Anderson's departure was reported as a retirement.
He played in five regular season games during 2004 before leaving the Lions.
2005 season
In April 2005, Buono negotiated with the Port Coquitlam Fire Department to allow Anderson to work both jobs simultaneously.
Anderson re-signed with the Lions in June, missing training camp but joining the team before the regular season started.
Anderson served as a backup slotback and kicker. In late July, he played most of a game at slotback due to a hamstring injury to
Geroy Simon
Geroy Simon (born 11 September 1975) is the assistant general manager for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is also a former professional Canadian football slotback who played in 15 seasons in the CFL, twelve of them wit ...
.
In August, he regained kickoff duties from O'Mahony.
After O'Mahony missed three field goals in an October game against the
Saskatchewan Roughriders, Anderson attempted a 48-yard field goal to tie the game with less than a minute left to play. The field goal was blocked, resulting in a loss.
O'Mahony was later replaced by
Mark McLoughlin with Anderson remaining the backup field goal kicker.
The Lions' kicker issues persisted into the postseason. In the final game of the regular season, Anderson injured his ribs on the opening kickoff and was replaced by McLoughlin, who later damaged his hamstring.
Anderson healed in time to perform kickoffs in the West Final against the Eskimos, which the Lions lost 23–28.
2006 season
Anderson "retired" prior to the beginning of training camp in 2006 as part of a deal between the Lions and the Port Coquitlam Fire Department. Anderson worked regular shifts as a firefighter throughout training camp before rejoining the team in early June, immediately before the start of the regular season.
2007 season
2008 season
2009 season
Season statistics
Personal life and career
Anderson has three daughters with his wife, Jennifer.
Anderson's father, Al Anderson, played
American football at
Western Washington University before declining a contract from the BC Lions in favor of becoming a high school teacher.
In 2003, while Anderson was playing for the Lions, he was trained as a firefighter with the expectation that he may lose his position on the team after that season.
He accepted a job at the
Port Coquitlam Fire Department in July 2004.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Bret
Living people
1974 births
Canadian football placekickers
Canadian football slotbacks
Simon Fraser Clan football players
BC Lions players
Players of Canadian football from British Columbia
Sportspeople from New Westminster
Guards (basketball)
Canadian men's basketball players
Simon Fraser Clan men's basketball players
Basketball people from British Columbia