Eugene Avon Anderson (October 4, 1939 – October 31, 1991) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and

professional wrestling manager In professional wrestling, a manager is a supporting character paired with a wrestler (or wrestlers) for a variety of reasons. A physically attractive woman accompanying, or "seconding", a male wrestler to a match is sometimes referred to as a v ...

. He is best known for being one-half of the

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, first with Lars Anderson, then with Ole Anderson. He was a marquee performer for the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

(NWA) from the late 1960s, appearing with promotions including the

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...

(AWA), Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (ACW). The Minnesota Wrecking Crew were named " Tag Team of the Year" by '' Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' in 1975 and 1977.

Early life

Anderson was born in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

to Royal Anderson and Pauline Sergeant. He competed in

amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...

while attending

South Saint Paul Secondary South St. Paul Secondary (also known as South St. Paul High School) is a public high school in South St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the South St. Paul Public Schools district, and is an International Baccalaureate World School. ...

, becoming a state champion. He attended

North Dakota State College of Science The North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) is a public college in Wahpeton, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. Founded in 1903 by provision of the state constitution, the State College of Science offers degre ...

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1958–1961)

Anderson was trained by

Verne Gagne Laverne Clarence Gagne (February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling ...

, making his debut in 1958. He spent several years wrestling in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for Stampede Wrestling.

American Wrestling Association (1961–1966)

Anderson joined the

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

-based

(AWA) in 1961. In 1965, he formed the

The Minnesota Wrecking Crew The Minnesota Wrecking Crew is a Canadian sketch comedy troupe, featuring members John Catucci, Josh Glover, Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang and Ron Sparks. They all met as members of The Vanier Improv Company. The group won two consecutive Canadian Comed ...

with Lars Anderson, who was billed as his brother.

Georgia Championship Wrestling (1963, 1967, 1974–1981)

Anderson made his first appearance with the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia-based promotion Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) in 1963. In 1967, he and Lars Anderson held the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship ''(Georgia version)'' on

two occasions "Two Occasions" is an R&B song written by Babyface, Darnell Bristol and Sid Johnson (who was the former manager for Babyface's early group, Manchild). It was produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid for the Deele's third studio album '' Eyes of a Stra ...

. The duo also won the NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Georgia version)'' in April 1967, vacating the championship later that year. Anderson resumed wrestling for Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) in the mid-1970s, this time with Ole Anderson as his partner. The duo held both the

NWA Macon Tag Team Championship The NWA Macon Tag Team Championship was a tag team professional wrestling championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling, defended exclusively on events held at the Macon City Auditorium and Macon Coliseum The Macon Coliseum is a multi-purpose ...

and the NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship ''(Georgia version)'' on one occasion in 1974, and the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship on seven occasions between 1974 and 1977.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (1966–1985)

In 1966, Anderson (along with Lars) began regularly wrestling for the

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

-based promotion Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW). After Lars relocated to Hawaii in 1969, Anderson reformed the

with Ole Anderson, who was also billed as his brother. Between 1970 and 1975, he and Ole Anderson won the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship (renamed the

NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship The NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship was a tag team title defended in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Mid-Atlantic territory. The championship was originally created in the summer of 1968 and was originally named the NWA Atlantic Coas ...

in 1973) on six occasions. On January 29, 1975, the duo were crowned the inaugural NWA World Tag Team Champions ''(Mid-Atlantic version)''. They went on to hold the championship on six further occasions. The duo's final reign ended when they forfeited the championship in December 1981 after Anderson sustained an injury. In 1979, Anderson took control of Buddy Rogers'

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

of wrestlers, naming it "Anderson's Army". Between 1979 and 1981, Anderson managed wrestlers including

The Iron Sheik Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri ( fa, حسین خسرو علی وزیری, romanized: Hossein Xosrô 'Ali Vaziri; born March 15, 1942), better known by his ring name the Iron Sheik, is an Iranian retired professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and a ...

Jimmy Snuka James Reiher Snuka (born James Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian American professional wrestler. He is better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010 ...

, Ray Stevens,

The Masked Superstar William Reid "Bill" Eadie (born December 27, 1947) is an American retired professional wrestler who has competed under the names of Ax as part of Demolition and The Masked Superstar. He was a high school teacher and coach at Cambridge High Scho ...

, and

Ivan Koloff Oreal Donald Perras (August 25, 1942 – February 18, 2017) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff. He was the third wrestler to hold the WWWF Championship. Early life Perras was b ...

. The stable was disbanded when Anderson reformed The Minnesota Wrecking Crew with Ole Anderson. In 1982, Anderson joined Sir Oliver Humperdink's stable, the House of Humperdink. Humperdink acted as Anderson's manager for the remainder of his time in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW).

Retirement (1985–1991)

Anderson wrestled his final match in 1985. Anderson ran a

professional wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

with Nelson Royal. Wrestlers trained by Anderson included Ken Shamrock. Anderson later became a

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Personal life

Anderson was married to Edith "Edie" Anderson (née Simpson). The couple had a son, Brad, who also became a professional wrestler, as well as two daughters, Alicia Anderson and Pauline Anderson. Anderson had a damaged neck, which caused him to constantly twitch.

Death

Anderson died of a sudden

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on October 31, 1991 while attending a law enforcement training event in

Huntersville, North Carolina Huntersville is a large suburban town in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. A part of the Charlotte metropolitan area, the population was 61,376 at the 2020 census, making Huntersville the 15th largest municipality in North Caroli ...

Championships and accomplishments

* Georgia Championship Wrestling ** NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship ( 7 times) - with Ole Anderson **

( 1 time) - with Ole Anderson **NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship ''(Georgia version)'' (1 time) - with Ole Anderson ** NWA Southern Tag Team Championship ''(Georgia version)'' (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) - with Lars Anderson ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Georgia Version)'' ( 1 time) - with Lars Anderson * Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling ** NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship ( 4 times) - with Ole Anderson **

(

) - with Ole AndersonN.W.A. World Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic/W.C.W)
/ref> ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'' ( 7 times) - with Ole Anderson *

NWA Hall of Fame The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Hall of Fame is an American professional wrestling hall of fame maintained by the NWA. It was established in 2005 to honor select wrestling personalities, mostly alumni of the NWA. Inductees receive commemorat ...

(class of 2010) *'' Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' **

PWI Tag Team of the Year This is a list of both active and inactive ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' awards which are voted on by ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') readers every year from 1972 onwards, expanding to more categories in later years. Unlike other wrestling ...

(1975, 1977) - with Ole Anderson **PWI ranked him # 60 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" with

in 2003

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Gene 1939 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American male actors American catch wrestlers American deputy sheriffs American male professional wrestlers Anderson family Professional wrestlers from Minnesota Sportspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota Stampede Wrestling alumni 20th-century professional wrestlers WCW World Tag Team Champions NWA Macon Tag Team Champions NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions