Mike Anderson
No. 38
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1973-09-21) September 21, 1973 (age 50)
Winnsboro, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Fairfield Central (Winnsboro, South Carolina)
College:Utah
NFL draft:2000 / Round: 6 / Pick: 189
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:4,067
Average:4.4
Rushing touchdowns:37
Receptions:92
Receiving yards:727
Receiving touchdowns:5
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Marine Corps
Years of service1992–1996
Rank Lance corporal
Player stats at NFL.com

Michael Moschello Anderson (born September 21, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah Utes and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft.[1] He played five seasons with the Broncos, being named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2000. After being waived by the Broncos in 2006, Anderson signed a four-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens; however, he played just two seasons with the Ravens before his contract was terminated in 2008, effectively ending his NFL career.

Prior to his football career, Anderson served four years in the United States Marine Corps, enlisting out of high school. He was assigned to the artillery battery of the 11th Marine Regiment and deployed overseas to Somalia and Kenya on peacekeeping missions. He was honorably discharged from the Marines in 1996 as a lance corporal.

High school

Anderson is a graduate of Fairfield Central High School in Winnsboro, South Carolina, where he did not compete in sports.

Military service

Anderson spent four years in the United States Marine Corps upon completion of high school in order to earn educational benefits and in consideration of a possible military career.[2][3] While in the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, he played on the 11th Marines contact football team, where he was seen by an assistant coach for Mt. San Jacinto Junior College.[3]

College career

Anderson attended Mt. San Jacinto Junior College for two years. As a freshman, helped his team win the L.A. Bowl with 1,511 rushing yards. He won the California State JUCO Player of the Year after rushing for 1,686 yards as a sophomore. Anderson went on to become a two-time all-conference player at the University of Utah where he was a teammate of former Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers star wide receiver Steve Smith. Anderson finished his two-year career with the best per-game rushing average in school history (102.4 avg.)

NFL career

Denver Broncos

Anderson played five seasons for the Denver Broncos. In his first season in 2000, he ended up with 1,487 yards and received the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. He set several franchise records on December 3 at New Orleans with 37 carries for 251 yards and four touchdowns. He also had games with 187 and 195 yards, the only rookie in NFL history with three 175+ yard games.[4] He was plagued by injuries in the following years, not even playing in 2004, the result of tearing both groin muscles while blocking on a punt return in the waning moments of a preseason game. The 2005 NFL season was a return to form. He rushed for 1,014 yards in 15 games. In reaching his second 1,000-yard rushing season, Anderson set several modern-day NFL records (longest stretch between seasons leading a team in rushing, longest stretch between a player's first and second 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and greatest number of seasons passed between 1,000-yard rushing seasons with no intervening seasons rushing for that distance). On March 1, 2006, Anderson was waived by the Broncos to avoid exceeding the salary cap.

As of 2017's NFL off-season, Anderson held at least 11 Broncos franchise records, including:

Baltimore Ravens

On March 12, 2006, Anderson and the Ravens agreed on a contract. During the 2006 season, he was third string behind Jamal Lewis and Musa Smith. He finished 2006 with 39 carries for 143 yards and 1 touchdown, as well as 9 receptions for 54 yards. On February 27, 2008, the Ravens released him, ending his NFL career.

NFL career statistics

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
2000 DEN 16 12 297 1,487 5.0 80 15 23 169 7.3 18 0
2001 DEN 16 7 175 678 3.9 62 4 8 46 5.8 16 0
2002 DEN 15 12 84 386 4.6 32 2 18 167 9.3 52 2
2003 DEN 12 5 70 257 3.7 44 3 12 53 4.4 18 2
2004 DEN 0 0 Did not play due to injury
2005 DEN 15 15 239 1,014 4.2 44 12 18 212 11.8 66 1
2006 BAL 16 0 39 183 4.7 34 1 9 54 6.0 13 0
2007 BAL 8 0 15 62 4.1 16 0 4 26 6.5 10 0
Career[5] 98 51 919 4,067 4.4 80 37 92 727 7.9 66 5

See also

References

  1. ^ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  2. ^ "Players: Mike Anderson Bio". NFLPlayers.com. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Scott Baron. "Rush to Success". G.I. Jobs. Archived from the original on March 4, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2007. Former Marine and 2000 NFL Rookie of the Year Mike Anderson tells how his experience in the Corps has made him a success on the NFL gridiron.
  4. ^ As of 2017 48 rookies, per pro-football-reference.com
  5. ^ "Mike Anderson". Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.

External links

Denver Broncos 2000 NFL draft selections
Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winners
Categories