Forddy Anderson (1919-1999)

Teams coached: Drake Bulldogs, Bradley Braves, Michigan State Spartans
Drake record: 32-23 (.582)
Bradley record: 142-56 (.717)
Michigan State record: 125-124 (.502)
Overall record^: 299-203 (.596)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  0  (Runner-up in 1950, 1954)
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  4  (1950, 1954, 1957, 1959)
• NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  3  (1954, 1957, 1959)
• NCAA Tournament Final Four:  3  (1950, 1954, 1957)
• NIT Championships:  0  (Runner-up in 1950)
• NIT Appearances:  2  (1949, 1950)
• Big Ten Regular Season Champion:  2  (1957, 1959)
• Missouri Valley Regular Season Champion:  1  (1950)

Awards:

• Missouri Valley Coach of the Year:  1  (1950)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1965-1970	Hiram Scott
1954-1965	Michigan State
1948-1954	Bradley
1946-1948	Drake

Forddy Anderson Facts

• Forrest Anderson
• Born March 17, 1919
• Died October 25, 1999
• Hometown: Gary, Indiana
• Alma Mater: Stanford University (BA, 1946)
• After graduating from Ralph W. Emerson HS (IN), Anderson played for head coach Everett Dean at Stanford
  • Joined the US Navy during World War II, spending time playing basketball for Tony Hinkle at Great Lakes Training Facility
• Returned to Stanford after the War to finish his degree in 1946 and was then hired as the head coach at Drake
  • Went 32-23 in two seasons as the Bulldogs’ head coach before leaving for Bradley
• Won 142 games in six seasons as the head coach at Bradley, reaching two NITs and two NCAA Tournaments
  • Finished as NCAA Runner-up in both 1950 and 1954, also finishing as NIT Runner-up in 1950
• Left Bradley for Michigan State in 1954, coaching the Spartans for the next eleven seasons
  • Was 125-124 overall, finishing over .500 in each of his first five seasons at MSU
  • Led the program to its first ever NCAA Final Four in 1957 and then back to the Elite Eight in 1959
    • Won the Big Ten title in each of those seasons, earning consistent top-10 AP rankings throughout
  • Fired in 1965 following a 5-18 season that saw the Spartans finish in last place
• Hired to build the athletic department at Hiram Scott College in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, serving as AD and head basketball coach
  • Left the school in 1970 when the athletic department shut down; the school shut down officially shortly after
• Coached Peru’s national basketball team in FIBA competition through 1970 and 1971
• Spent the latter part of his career working as a scout for the NBA’s Boston Celtics in the 1980s and 1990s
• Died in 1999 at the age of 80 from complications due to pneumonia
  • Survived by three daughters, Connie, Barb and Tracey, and son, Forrest Jr.

Forddy Anderson Coaching Tree

• Stan Albeck (Bradley, Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver, Northern Michigan)
• John E. Benington (Michigan State, Saint Louis, Drake)
• Bill Berry (San José State)
• Chuck Orsborn (Bradley)
• Bob Stevens (Oklahoma, South Carolina)
• Joe Stowell (Bradley)

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only