University of Minnesota Athletics
Wendell Anderson - M Club Hall of Fame
Wendell Anderson
Lifetime Achievement Award
HOF Class of 1997
St. Paul native Wendell Anderson starred as a defenseman for the Golden Gopher hockey team from 1952 to 1954, playing a pivotal role in the team’s WCHA titles and NCAA championship game berths in 1953 and 1954.
Anderson played on the silver-medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team in Cortina, Italy in 1956.
He earned a bachelors of arts degree in history in 1954, and then served as a U.S. Army infantry officer. Returning to the University he earned a law degree in 1960.
While still in law school, he won election to the Minnesota Legislature, launching a long career in politics. For more than 20 years he served as state representative, state senator and, from 1971 to 1977, Minnesota’s governor.
“Wendy” was also on several private, civic and corporate boards, including a 12-year stint on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, and membership on the U of M’s Foundation and its Executive Committee.
Anderson was 1975 Swedish American of the Year, received the University of St. Thomas Distinguished Service Award in 1993, and was awarded the Ellis Island Medal in 1996.