Bill Anderson

Walter William Anderson (July 13, 1936 – April 18, 2017) was an American professional football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and Green Bay Packers. He played high school football at Manatee High School in Bradenton, Florida and college football at the University of Tennessee. He was selected in the third round of the 1958 NFL draft.

College career Anderson played for the Tennessee Volunteers from 1955 to 1957. He was a co-captain for the 1957 team.

Professional career

Washington Redskins Anderson played for the Redskins from 1958 to 1963. He was selected by the team as Rookie of the Year in 1958 and Player of the Year in 1959. Bill made 178 catches, averaging 17.1 yards per catch, and scored 14 touchdowns over six seasons. Anderson was a two-time Pro Bowl selection (1959 and 1960).

Green Bay Packers Anderson retired from football in 1963 and joined the Tennessee staff as an assistant coach. However, he temporarily put his retirement plans on hold and signed with the Green Bay Packers in 1965. He played 24 games with Green Bay from 1965–1966 and averaged 11.9 yards per catch. The comeback was a good thing for him as the Packers won the 1965 and 1966 NFL Championships and he subsequently earned a Super Bowl ring when the Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl I on January 15, 1967.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the NFL championship Won the Super Bowl Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1958 WAS 12 10 18 396 22.0 71 2 1959 WAS 11 11 35 734 21.0 70 6 1960 WAS 12 12 38 488 12.8 48 3 1961 WAS 14 11 40 637 15.9 42 0 1962 WAS 12 10 23 386 16.8 46 2 1963 WAS 13 6 14 288 20.6 49 1 1965 GNB 14 4 8 105 13.1 27 1 1966 GNB 10 1 2 14 7.0 8 0 Career 98 65 178 3,048 17.1 71 15

Playoffs Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1965 GNB 2 2 8 78 9.8 18 0 1966 GNB 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 Career 4 2 8 78 9.8 18 0

Broadcasting In 1968, Anderson returned to Tennessee as color analyst for football games on the Vol Network, partnered with play-by-play announcer John Ward. Ward and Anderson would remain together for 31 years, the longest-running broadcast partnership in college football at the time. Their final game was the 1998 national championship game, the first game of the Bowl Championship Series, won by Tennessee over Florida State University.

Family Anderson is the second cousin of Giant Bomb staff member Brad Shoemaker.

Death Anderson died on April 18, 2017, at a hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the age of 80.