University of Minnesota Athletics
Anderson to Receive Twins’ Lifetime Achievement Award
12/4/2019 10:00:00 AM | Baseball, M Club
MINNEAPOLIS – Adding to an already impressive list of career accolades, the Minnesota Twins announced today that long-time Gophers head coach John Anderson will be their 2019 Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award winner, as voted on by the Diamond Awards Committee. The Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award is named after the Twins' longtime radio voice (1962-2006) and 1996 Ford C. Frick Award winner.
"It's hard to imagine there is a more deserved recipient of the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award than John Anderson," Minnesota Twins President & CEO Dave St. Peter said. "John's incredible contributions to the University of Minnesota Baseball program are legendary and ongoing. Coupled with his commitment to growing our game across the state of Minnesota, John's vision and leadership are central to baseball's future in this region."
The award will officially be presented to Anderson at the 15th Annual Diamond Awards on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 5:30pm at The Depot Minneapolis. All proceeds from this event benefit the University of Minnesota's innovative research and patient care focused on ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), ataxia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.
Ever since stepping onto campus as a player in the fall of 1974, Anderson has been making his mark not only on Gopher Baseball, but on baseball throughout the entire state of Minnesota. From 1974-75, Anderson served as a player for the Gophers and later as a student coach, graduate assistant and assistant coach, before being named Minnesota's head baseball coach in 1981.
Building on the foundation of his mentor, the iconic Dick Siebert, and with a philosophy to prepare his players "for the next 50 years of their lives," Anderson has made an indelible impact upon the University and the sport. Over the course of his 38 years at the helm of Gopher Baseball, the team has experienced 36 winning seasons, 11 regular season Big Ten titles, 20 Big Ten Tournament Championship appearances (including 10 Tournament titles) and 19 NCAA postseason appearances.
With a career 1,317-887-3 record, Anderson is the winningest coach in the history of the school. Meanwhile, the Gopher skipper also holds the record for overall wins and conference wins while coaching at a Big Ten university. At present, Anderson ranks 23rd all-time in total NCAA victories and sixth among active head coaches.
Off the field, Anderson has mentored 328 Academic All-Big Ten selections while producing Academic Progress Rates and Graduate Success Rates among the best in the NCAA. Anderson also coached at least 20 future Major League Baseball players, including former Twins All-Star closer Glen Perkins, as well as former All-Star catchers Dan Wilson and Greg Olson.
Anderson has been inducted into four different organizations' halls of fame: the American Baseball Coaches Association (2008), the University of Minnesota "M" Club (2002), the Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association (2013) and Hibbing Community College. Although he never coached at the high school level, Anderson was honored by the MHSBCA for his multiple contributions to high school baseball in the state, including organizing camps, clinics and fall leagues. Anderson also played a vital role in the fundraising for Siebert Field, which has hosted numerous high school games since opening in 2013.
In receiving the Twins' Lifetime Achievement Award, Anderson joins a legendary group of recipients that includes the likes of MLB Hall of Fame inductees Jack Morris, Rod Carew and Bert Blyleven.
Anderson will officially embark on his 39th season as Minnesota's head baseball coach this upcoming February, when Minnesota begins their 2020 season at the Angels College Classic in Tempe, Ariz. from Feb. 14-17.
"It's hard to imagine there is a more deserved recipient of the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award than John Anderson," Minnesota Twins President & CEO Dave St. Peter said. "John's incredible contributions to the University of Minnesota Baseball program are legendary and ongoing. Coupled with his commitment to growing our game across the state of Minnesota, John's vision and leadership are central to baseball's future in this region."
The award will officially be presented to Anderson at the 15th Annual Diamond Awards on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 5:30pm at The Depot Minneapolis. All proceeds from this event benefit the University of Minnesota's innovative research and patient care focused on ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), ataxia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.
Ever since stepping onto campus as a player in the fall of 1974, Anderson has been making his mark not only on Gopher Baseball, but on baseball throughout the entire state of Minnesota. From 1974-75, Anderson served as a player for the Gophers and later as a student coach, graduate assistant and assistant coach, before being named Minnesota's head baseball coach in 1981.
Building on the foundation of his mentor, the iconic Dick Siebert, and with a philosophy to prepare his players "for the next 50 years of their lives," Anderson has made an indelible impact upon the University and the sport. Over the course of his 38 years at the helm of Gopher Baseball, the team has experienced 36 winning seasons, 11 regular season Big Ten titles, 20 Big Ten Tournament Championship appearances (including 10 Tournament titles) and 19 NCAA postseason appearances.
With a career 1,317-887-3 record, Anderson is the winningest coach in the history of the school. Meanwhile, the Gopher skipper also holds the record for overall wins and conference wins while coaching at a Big Ten university. At present, Anderson ranks 23rd all-time in total NCAA victories and sixth among active head coaches.
Off the field, Anderson has mentored 328 Academic All-Big Ten selections while producing Academic Progress Rates and Graduate Success Rates among the best in the NCAA. Anderson also coached at least 20 future Major League Baseball players, including former Twins All-Star closer Glen Perkins, as well as former All-Star catchers Dan Wilson and Greg Olson.
Anderson has been inducted into four different organizations' halls of fame: the American Baseball Coaches Association (2008), the University of Minnesota "M" Club (2002), the Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association (2013) and Hibbing Community College. Although he never coached at the high school level, Anderson was honored by the MHSBCA for his multiple contributions to high school baseball in the state, including organizing camps, clinics and fall leagues. Anderson also played a vital role in the fundraising for Siebert Field, which has hosted numerous high school games since opening in 2013.
In receiving the Twins' Lifetime Achievement Award, Anderson joins a legendary group of recipients that includes the likes of MLB Hall of Fame inductees Jack Morris, Rod Carew and Bert Blyleven.
Anderson will officially embark on his 39th season as Minnesota's head baseball coach this upcoming February, when Minnesota begins their 2020 season at the Angels College Classic in Tempe, Ariz. from Feb. 14-17.
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