Willard August Anderson (May 5, 1897 – April 24, 1982) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player. Anderson was born in Muskegon, Michigan, in 1897. He attended high school there as well. He then enrolled at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

where he played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

from 1919 to 1922. He received Syracuse's Corpse and Coffin football trophy in March 1922. Andersonalso played professional football as a

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

for the Rochester Jeffersons 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). He appeared in four NFL games, three as a starter, during the 1923 and 1924 seasons. Anderson later became a high school football coach, holding positions including

Ogdensburg, New York Ogdensburg ( moh, Kaniatarahòn:tsi) is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 10,436 at the 2019 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and de ...

, Anderson died in 1982 in Hinsdale, Illinois.

References

1897 births 1982 deaths Rochester Jeffersons players Players of American football from Michigan Sportspeople from Muskegon, Michigan Syracuse Orange football players {{runningback-1890s-stub