University of Minnesota Athletics
John Anderson - M Club Hall of Fame
John Anderson
Baseball Coach, 1982
HOF Class of 2002
John Anderson came to the University of Minnesota in 1973 from Nashwauk-Keewatin High School, hoping to catch on as a pitcher for baseball coach Dick Siebert.
An arm injury ended his playing career, but Anderson continued his association with the team as a student coach. So well liked and respected was he that the players voted him the 1977 team MVP – quite an honor on a team that featured future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor and finished sixth at the College World Series!
In 1978, Anderson became a graduate assistant to the team. When Coach Siebert died that year and George Thomas was made his replacement, Anderson became assistant coach. When Thomas resigned three years later, Anderson became head coach, at 26 the youngest in Big Ten history.
Three decades later, Anderson was still head coach, and the Big Ten’s all-time leader in victories had been named five times the conference Coach of the Year. He guided Minnesota to nine Big Ten Tournament titles, eight regular season conference crowns, and 16 NCAA tournament berths. He was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2008, and won his 1,000th career game the following year.