Heartley Anderson
| Heartley Anderson | |
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Position (s): Guard |
Jersey number (s): 21 |
| born December 22, 1898 in Tamarack , Michigan | |
| died on April 24, 1978 in West Palm Beach , Florida | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1922 - 1925 | |
| College : University of Notre Dame | |
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player
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 39 |
| as a starter | 32 |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Heartley William "Hunk" Anderson (* 22. December 1898 in Tamarack , Michigan ; † 24. April 1978 in West Palm Beach , Florida ) was an American American football player and trainer. He played as a guard in the National Football League (NFL). Anderson was a football coach who had a decisive influence on the sport of football through numerous innovations and whose changes are also used in modern times.
origin
Anderson attended high school in Calumet , a city that was dominated by numerous copper mines . His father worked for the railroad and did not have the opportunity to finance a degree for Anderson. To enable himself to study at a college, he worked as a chauffeur. The Head Coach of the University of Notre Dame Knute Rockne became aware of Anderson through a friend and invited him to a trial training session. Anderson originally wanted to play on the position of a fullback , which Rockne refused. Instead, he was offered to play as a guard on the football team. Anderson accepted this offer and received a scholarship.
Player career
College player
From 1918 to 1921, Anderson studied at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend , Indiana . In college he played American football, basketball and baseball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish . In 1919 and 1920, the Indiana football team remained undefeated and won the regional championship. Anderson and his team won 31 of 35 games during his student days. In 1921, Hunk Anderson was elected All American and graduated as a civil engineer in 1922.
Professional player
In 1922, Anderson joined the Chicago Bears trained by George Halas . The Bears signed Ed Healey and his former teammate at the University of Notre Dame George Trafton in 1923 , who became partners of Anderson on the offensive line . With the exception of a brief stint with the Cleveland Indians , Anderson stayed with the Bears until 1925.
In 1924, the Bears crowned themselves (albeit unofficial) champions. They beat the Cleveland Bulldogs on December 7, 1924. However, since the NFL had assumed that the season had ended on November 30, 1924, the Cleveland team was crowned champions.
Anderson ended his playing career after the 1925 NFL season.
Coaching career
Anderson returned to the University of Notre Dame after his playing career and was assistant coach to Knute Rockne. In 1931, Rockne was killed in a plane crash and Anderson succeeded him as head coach . His first post as head coach came during the Great Depression and the University of Notre Dame was forced to cut funding for players' scholarships and limit the number of assistant coaches. In the 1933 season, the Fighting Irish lost for the first time more games than they could win. Anderson left South Bend after three years. He became head coach at North Carolina State University . He worked in North Carolina from 1934 to 1936. In 1939 he signed a contract as an assistant coach with the Detroit Lions , but moved to the Bears in the same capacity a year later. In Detroit as well as in Chicago , Anderson was responsible for the defense , the offensive line and the defensive line .
In 1940 the Bears were one of the defining teams in the NFL. Numerous selection players such as Ken Kavanaugh , Dan Fortmann or Joe Stydahar were under contract with the Bears. In the 1940 NFL championship game , the team outclassed the Washington Redskins 73-0 . In 1941 they won the championship again and defeated the New York Giants 37: 9 in the final . The Bears could win all games of the regular season in 1942 . Although the defense of the Bears, trained by Anderson this year, is considered to be one of the best defensive lines in NFL history and the Redskins were only able to gain 170 yards of space in the final , the game against the team from Washington, DC was surprisingly lost 14: 6.
Anderson had replaced George Halas as head coach together with Luke Johnsos during the 1942 season . This replacement had become necessary because Halas had to serve in the US Army during World War II . It was foreseeable, however, that he would return to work as coach of the Bears after the war.
Together with Johnson, Anderson led the Chicago team to the championship in 1943. Again the Redskins were the opponents in the final and the Bears were able to prevail with 41:21. In 1945 the team's performance deteriorated and more games were lost than won. George Halas was again coach of the team from 1946. Anderson remained loyal to the Bears as an assistant coach until 1952. Together with Hals he managed to win another championship. In 1946 the New York Giants were beaten 24:14 in the final.
Anderson was one of the coaches who shaped the modern game of football. He introduced lightning into the game, using safety in particular . He had the first "Blitz" performed as an assistant coach against the Chicago Bears, of whom he was committed a short time later. He was the first trainer to combine room and man coverage. In the offense, he introduced new block techniques.
After the coaching career
Anderson worked in the steel industry after his coaching career. He was married and had three children. Anderson died of cancer after a long illness. His grave is not known.
Honors
Anderson is a member of the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team and the College Football Hall of Fame , as well as the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame . He was once voted All-Pro . Although numerous football fans have requested Anderson's entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame , he has so far been refused entry because the admissions committee has limited the selection of players and coaches who were active before 1955 and Anderson's time in the NFL as not considered sufficiently. In 1976 a childhood friend of Anderson published his life story in a book.
Web links
- Anderson at the University of Notre Dame
- Biography of Hunk Anderson (PDF; 33 kB)
- Anderson coaching statistics
- Hunk Anderson in the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame
source
- Emil Klosinski, Notre Dame, Chicago Bears and Hunk Anderson, North Hollywood 2006, ISBN 978-1886571204
Individual evidence
- ↑ Official annual statistics of the Bears 1924
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Bears 1940
- ↑ Endgame statistics 1940
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Bears 1941
- ↑ Endgame statistics 1941
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Bears 1942
- ↑ Endgame statistics 1942
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Bears 1943
- ↑ Endgame statistics 1943
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Bears 1945
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Bears 1946
- ↑ Hunk Anderson in the Find a Grave database
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Anderson, Heartley |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Anderson, Heartley William; Anderson, hunk |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player and coach |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 22, 1898 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tamarack , Michigan |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 24, 1978 |
| Place of death | West Palm Beach , Florida |