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Christopher Anderson (30 August 1925 – 27 May 1986) was a Scottish footballer, educator and football administrator. He is best remembered for his time as vice-chairman of
Aberdeen F.C. Aberdeen Football Club is a Scottish professional Association football, football club based in Aberdeen, Scotland. They compete in the and have List of unrelegated association football clubs, never been relegated from the top division of th ...
, where he was regarded as one of the game's most forward-thinking and innovative characters. Anderson was appointed an Officer of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(OBE) in the 1981 Birthday Honours, and was inducted into the Aberdeen FC "Hall of Fame" as one of the founding members in 2003.


Playing and coaching career

Anderson was born and grew up in
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
, and showed promise as a player from an early age. He was capped by Scotland Schoolboys and joined the Junior team Mugiemoss as a teenager. Bill Struth, manager of Rangers, expressed an interest in the young Anderson, but instead he signed for his local team in 1943. Wartime delayed his senior debut until 1948, and his time as a player at Pittodrie coincided with a lean period in the club's fortunes. One of the few highlights of his time there as a player was a
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
against Celtic at
Parkhead Parkhead () is a district in the East End of Glasgow. Its name comes from a small weaving hamlet (place), hamlet at the meeting place of the Great Eastern Road (now the Gallowgate and Tollcross Road) and Westmuir Street. Glasgow's Eastern Necro ...
, in which Anderson scored the only goal. This was the first time that Aberdeen had beaten Celtic in a cup tie in Glasgow. During his time as an Aberdeen player, Anderson spent a short period at Hartlepools United, playing only two games for the English club. According to the Aberdeen official website,
Red Web – Aberdeen Hall of Fame: Chris Anderson] (registration needed)
he was only denied senior international honours by a knee injury sustained playing against Celtic. In 1953, Anderson was transferred to Arbroath F.C., Arbroath, where he ended his playing career. Anderson was forced to give up the game in 1956 following a series of injuries, but stayed with Arbroath as assistant to the manager, Tommy Gray. The following season, he was appointed chief coach (rather than manager) in place of Gray, and steered Arbroath to promotion in 1958–59. The following campaign in the first division ended in relegation, however, and Anderson was replaced as manager by John Prentice before the end of the season.


Educator and administrator

Anderson joined the board of directors at Aberdeen in 1967, and was made vice-chairman three years later. He also had a distinguished career in education, and before his retirement he was secretary of
Robert Gordon University Robert Gordon University, commonly called RGU (), is a public university in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It became a university in 1992, and originated from an educational institution founded in the 18th century by Robert Gordon (philanthrop ...
, a prominent technology college, later granted university status. His OBE was awarded for services to both education and sport, but it is as a football administrator and visionary that he is best known. Anderson's time on the board at Aberdeen coincided with the most successful period in the club's history, and he is considered to have been a driving force behind that success. As well as being instrumental in the development of Pittodrie as one of the first all-seater stadia in Britain, he was a prime mover in the creation of the Scottish Premier Division in 1975, a response to the declining attendances of the time. As a member of the Aberdeen board, he was responsible for the appointment of Alex Ferguson as manager in 1978. Ferguson noted that


Death

Anderson took early retirement from his post at Robert Gordon University in 1984, intending to focus more of his energies on running the football club as chairman. However, following an operation to correct a hernia in 1984, he noticed a stiffness in his right side, which was diagnosed as motor neurone disease. He continued to serve on the Aberdeen board in spite of his increasing disability, and was still well enough to attend the 1985 Scottish League Cup Final victory over Hibs. He realised that this would be his last visit to
Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
: By the time of the 1986 Scottish Cup Final, later that season, Anderson was unable to move independently, and was only able to communicate with technological assistance. He died 17 days later, at the age of 60. The Chris Anderson Stadium in Aberdeen is named after him.


Career statistics


Club


Appearances and goals by club, season and competition


Honours


Player

Aberdeen * Caledonia Trophy: 1948–49, 1949–50


Manager

Arbroath * Scottish Second Division promotion: 1958–59 * Forfarshire Cup: 1957–58


Vice-chairman

Aberdeen * UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1982–83 ''He was posthumously awarded a winners medal in 2023 along with Alex Ferguson, Archie Knox, Dougie Bell, Teddy Scott, and Dick Donald.''


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Chris Scottish men's footballers Aberdeen F.C. players Arbroath F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. players Footballers from Aberdeen Officers of the Order of the British Empire 1925 births 1986 deaths Directors of football clubs in Scotland Men's association football wing halves Scottish football managers Arbroath F.C. managers Aberdeen F.C. directors and chairmen People associated with Robert Gordon University Scottish Football League players English Football League players Scottish Football League managers Dyce F.C. players 20th-century Scottish businesspeople 20th-century Scottish sportsmen