Ian Anderson (11 September 1954 – 5 November 2008) was a Scottish professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

defender who spent most of his career playing in the United States. Anderson began his professional career with

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

when he was sixteen, his debut with the first team coming in August 1972. He moved to

St Johnstone St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...

in December 1975. St Johnstone sent him on loan in 1977 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

. In 1978, the Rowdies traded the American rights to Anderson to the

Houston Hurricane The Houston Hurricane was a soccer team based out of Houston that played in the NASL. They played from 1978 to 1980. Their home field was the Astrodome. Their colors were orange, white and red. History The team was the last of six expansion te ...

in exchange for draft picks. Houston then purchased his contract from St Johnstone. That fall, the

Houston Summit Houston Summit were a professional indoor soccer team that operated from 1978 to 1980. They played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1980, the franchise was moved to Baltimore to become the Baltimore Blast. Their roster mainly include ...

became a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The team was essentially the Houston Hurricane in an indoor guise. He was a 1978–1979 MISL All Star with Houston. When both the Hurricane and Summit collapsed in 1980, Anderson signed with the Cleveland Force of MISL. In December 1980, the Rowdies selected Anderson in the NASL Dispersal Draft which included players from the disbanded Hurricane. While the team wanted him for the NASL indoor season, he remained with the Force for the rest of the season, garnering first team All Star honors. He returned to the Rowdies for the 1981 outdoor season before moving indoors permanently that fall with the Force. On January 6, 1982, the New Jersey Rockets purchased Anderson from the Cleveland Force. and in February 1982, Anderson replaced the fired

Timo Liekoski Timo Liekoski (born June 30, 1942) is a Finnish soccer coach who managed teams in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, American Indoor Soccer Association and Major League Soccer. He currently holds a variety of coach ...

as head coach of the New Jersey Rockets. In 1983, he moved to the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

, where he played two seasons. In October 1985, he signed with the

Canton Invaders The Canton Invaders was an indoor soccer club based in Canton, Ohio that competed in the National Professional Soccer League. After the 1995–96 season, the team relocated and became the Columbus Invaders. History The Canton Invaders were a p ...

of the American Indoor Soccer Association. In 1986–1987, he coached the Kansas Argyles, an independent indoor soccer team. Anderson died suddenly on 5 November 2008 at

Western General Hospital The Western General Hospital (often abbreviated to simply ‘The Western General’) is a health facility at Craigleith, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Lothian. History The hospital was designed by Peddie and Kinnear and opened as ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, leaving behind his wife Jacqueline, two adult children Justin and Keri, and a granddaughter named Grace. His funeral service was held one week later in Mortonhall Crematorium Pentland Chapel, Edinburgh.Obituary
Scotsman Publications (Scotland) - November 7, 2008

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Ian 1954 births 2008 deaths National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Canton Invaders (AISA) players Canton Invaders players Cleveland Force (original MISL) players Dundee F.C. players Houston Hurricane players Houston Summit players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) coaches Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players New Jersey Rockets (MISL) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Scottish men's footballers Footballers from Edinburgh Scottish expatriate men's footballers St Johnstone F.C. players Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players Wichita Wings (MISL) players St. Louis Steamers (original MISL) players Men's association football defenders Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Scottish football managers