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 ...](_blank)
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